A Bakugan Hogwarts Story
by FearlessWind
Summary: Harry Potter AU (Third Year) / The infamous Soichiro Hoshi has escaped from Azkaban and everyone around Runo Misaki believe he's after her life. What connection is between Runo's past and this mass murderer? And why does everyone believe she wants to go after him as well? A terrible revelation will finally come to light along with the truth of her parents murder twelve years ago.
1. First Year: The Sorting Ceremony

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Fist Year:**

 **\- Sorting Ceremony**

Runo Misaki still couldn't believe what was right in front of her eyes. A castle bigger than all of the streets of London she had visited was right there. She felt minuscule just at seeing the great building. The boat she was in kept rocking back and forth with all the constant movement she was doing. The other classmates were eager as well so they refrained from scolding the girl.

"Keep still Runo, you are going to get us all wet" An orange haired girl said back to Runo in a calm collected manner.

"Sorry Alice. I'm just excited that's all" Runo answered back as she sat down and gave her a smile.

Alice Gehabic was the first friend she had made from the magical world. They had previously met at Diagon Alley, where she had gone with Tigrerra, a Professor from Hogwarts, when they had ran to each other. And now when Runo had climbed to the Hogwarts Express they were on the same cabinet. Alice had chocolate brown eyes that radiated kindness to everyone. Her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail.

"Calm down your excitement a little bit Runo" A silver haired said back to her just as she was examining her nails.

"No can do Julie" Runo said back with a little annoyance to the other girl. Julie Makimoto was another friend she had made on her way here. They had sat together on the train but Runo couldn't help being annoyed when the girl said annoying things constantly. The girl had brown eyes as well but Runo felt as if she was annoyed she was coming here. Her hair was up in a side ponytail and part of it was pulled back with pins in forms of hearts or stars.

She let out a sigh just as the Hogwarts castle kept on approaching little by little.

Runo Misaki was an orphan child. She had been living in Wool's Orphanage ever since she could remember and from what caretakers had told her, her parents had died in a car accident when she was just a year old. That explanation was enough to justify the scar she had on her arm. Strangely enough Runo didn't question much the existence of the scar; if anything she thought it looked kind of cool. She could pretend she had powers with a scar like that.

Her scar started from her hand all over to where her shoulder started. It kind of looked like a lightning scar, as if she had been struck with lightning that day. She didn't mind her scar, but ever since the other orphans saw the scar they would tease her about it.

Living in Wool's Orphanage wasn't dreadful as Runo tried to explain to herself most of the time. The caretakers where always kind to everyone and to her as well; sometimes the other orphans would go out of hand with their pranks, but in the end they would apologize. But, as she kept on growing up, she felt a huge drift between them and her. At first she couldn't explain it; it almost felt like she didn't belong there, in that place.

After she turned seven years old, problems started brewing between her and everyone else. She would try to go and talk with someone and it would usually end up in a fight, with her of course getting a punishment for it. The caretakers would usually ignore any kinds of requests she would ask for. The worst of it was that she didn't know why it was happening.

So she shut herself.

Once being a happy and lively kid with very good remarks was no more. She would usually stay in her room and solve her own problems or just ignore them; she tried to think it was better that way. But, every time she saw how another orphan was being bullied, she was the first one to defend them. Of course, she got punished a lot of times but by the time she had been spending there, Runo was getting used to it.

That was until Tigrerra came knocking down the door of her dormitory.

* * *

 _A knock from her door had interrupted the blunette from her thoughts. She stayed still in her bed waiting a bit more. 'Maybe it's just another prank' she said in her mind and so she waited. Eventually another knock was heard. The girl let out a huff of breath as she approached carefully the door._

 _Runo took hold of it and swung it open. She closed her eyes expecting a tomato to hit her in the face, but nothing of such happened. She looked back up and was met with a pair of big blue eyes._

 _A woman who looked like she was in her mid-thirties was standing right in front of her dormitory. She had long blond wavy hair that reached her waist. Her skin looked like it was made out of porcelain and was wearing a royal blue robe and it was adorned with golden dots from the end of it and upwards. Runo thought she looked stunning._

 _"Are you Runo Misaki?" The woman said with authority and a gentle tone. Runo could only manage to squeak out a little yes in response. A silence was created between of them and Runo could see how the other orphans were at the end of the hallway watching their conversation._

 _"May I come in?" The woman asked and the girl only moved aside to let her enter. Once she did she quickly closed the door. The blond started to examine her room. It was still messy Runo noticed. The dormitories of each orphan were pretty simple, a bed at the end of the room, a desk beside it, a little wooden wardrobe right in front of the desk and a little window so the light could come in. The walls were all painted of the same color, a kind of blue but not the lively one, it looked much sadder._

 _When she was given the room, Runo couldn't help but feel depressed at the sight of it, so she decorated it the best she could. Books were all around the desk along with origami figurines of different colors. Some of them were hanging from the ceiling and some on top of the wardrobe. Her bed sheets were parched up of different fabrics she had found around the garbage. The wardrobe had paintings of all sorts of things from stars to flowers, made with crayons and some with paint. She had put up posters from bands, places, celebrities, movies, etc., to fill the color of the wall._

 _Runo had to admit though, she was a mess at all of the organizing and crafting, but she felt at ease every time she was doing all of those things. The woman giggled a little bit as she pointed at a poster of a young male celebrity. That one was put on purpose and Runo couldn't help the blush from her cheeks._

 _"I suppose you fancy him?" The blonde pointed at the poster but Runo didn't respond anything back at her. The woman smiled and then took out something from her robe. From what Runo saw, it looked like it was a letter. "This is yours" The woman said and handed her the letter._

 _Runo took it with cautious hands and read the address for whom it was directed to._

 _Mrs. R. Misaki_

 _The Dormitory at the End of the 2nd Hall_

 _Wools Orphanage_

 _London_

 _She looked up to the woman and she only nodded back. This was definitely for her. With caution she flipped it over and tore a red seal that was placed in the middle of the envelope. The seal had a strange marking with an H. She opened it and took out the letter that said the following:_

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

 _Headmistress: Ophal Whyvern_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorceress, Chr. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mrs. Misaki,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Pyrus Drago_

 _Deputy Headmaster_

 _"What?" Runo asked incredulous. Magic. A school of magic. She was sure this was some sort of prank and a bad one._

 _"That's right-"The woman was going to keep on speaking but Runo cut her off from her explanation._

 _"Listen here missy" Runo said in a cold tone of voice. All signs of sweetness were gone from her face. She knew she couldn't jump to conclusions that fast, but if this was one of the orphan's pranks, oh were they going to get it. "Is this some sort of prank? Because it's a really bad one and I am in no mood for it"_

 _The woman's eyebrows knotted in concentration. She kept on staring at Runo with such disbelief that the silence was getting uncomfortable by the second. Suddenly another knock was heard from the door but no response came with it as it was opened. The mistress of the orphanage Bella Black a woman in her sixties, was standing in Runo's doorway looking at the unknown woman with eyes full of hatred._

 _"It seems we have an unexpected guess" Bella said as she shot a dirty look at Runo but she didn't falter. That woman was the very reason everyone despised Runo so much; since she was dropped off at the orphanage she had been nothing but trouble and gossip for her. If this prank was involving the mistress, Runo hoped it was a good one. Bella took some steps into the room and closed the door behind her quietly._

 _"Hello Bella, long time no see" The other woman spoke up with such a cold tone that sent chills down Runo's spine._

 _"What brings you here Tigrerra?" The older woman asked with fake sweetness. As in response the one called Tigrerra just furrowed her eyebrows deeper._

 _"Ophal informed me that Runo didn't get her letter to Hogwarts" Tigrerra answered as she took another letter from her robes "I'm pretty sure that my headmistress was clear enough of what would happen when she turned eleven" She handed Bella the letter and instantly she was beside Runo._

 _For some strange reason Runo wasn't talking. She wanted to know more about the topic; how was that this woman knew her? And the strange letters they were talking about. But for the time being, she felt safer than before with Tigrerra by her side, it made her have more confidence._

 _"Well a woman at my age could forget these kinds of things" The mistress tried to laugh it off nicely but even Runo could decipher that she was lying. It's not like it was a shocker, the woman was one of the most mischievous and despicable people Runo had come to know._

 _"We know; that's why we have been sending the owls since last month" Tigrerra said in a rational tone of voice. It was true, Runo had seen some owls at the orphanage's gates, but paid no mind to them. The woman spoke up again "I bet you didn't even tell her about her true heritage"_

 _A silence grew by the three women, and Runo was the first one to break it._

 _"What are you talking about?" she asked Tigrerra in a curious tone. Her mind was confused but she still wanted answers; hopefully they weren't even talking about her._

 _"Nothing you need to know" Bella said back with such force that Runo turned to her about to respond back, but a hand was placed on her shoulder. The blunette looked up to Tigrerra. If looks could kill, Black would already be dead thanks to that stare. Runo could even feel how the temperature dropped instantly, if by some sort of magic was controlling the temperature._

 _"You will not speak to her that way" The blond answered and Runo could see how Bella felt nervous by the statement. Before Runo could react, Tigrerra took what looked like a stick and waved it in front of her. Instantly a suitcase appeared and most of her stuff was pulled inside and placed there. The suitcase dropped with a heavy 'thud' on the ground and another silence was made._

 _"How did you do that?" Runo whispered with surprise to Tigrerra. She was sure; it was just some kind of trick of optical illusion or something. Maybe she hadn't been sleeping that well. After all it was kind of normal to see flying suitcases._

 _Tigrerra waved the stick once again and the suitcase disappeared instantly. Then she turned to Runo and flashed a genuine smile. "Magic" she whispered back. Then she kneeled in front of her and showed her the stick she had been using._

 _From up close Runo could see it was not some simple stick. It was actually a very fine piece of wood. As if it was made out of a cherry tree. It had carvings at the handle of different kinds of felines along with some spirals Runo was amazed by the beauty of it._

 _"This is my wand" Tigrerra said with a gentle tone of voice as she gently started waving it around. Sparkles of different colors were appearing out of the tip of the wand. "This is how I do my magic" she said and for some reason the way she said it, Runo felt as if she was telling the truth._

 _"Who are you?" Runo whispered to her. Tigrerra smiled back at her as she quietly answered her question._

 _"I´m a witch" she said "and so are you"._

* * *

After walking through a strange forest and finally walking through Hogwart's main entrance, Runo couldn't help being nervous. Professor Drago, the Deputy Headmaster, had just announced that the sorting of houses was about to begin and the butterflies appeared in an instant.

As she was walking through the Great Hall she could feel the heavy stares from people all around her. She kept on reminding herself that they were just there because they were all first years. And that was all.

The Great Hall as she noticed had four long tables filled with the older students of each Hogwarts house were situated. The houses in Hogwarts were four if she remembered correctly. Ravenclaw was for the intelligent and curious; Hufflepuff for the loyal and hard workers; Slytherin for the ambitious and cunning and Gryffindor for the brave and daring.

Runo couldn't place exactly in which house she would belong to and that made her nervous.

She focused instead at Professor's Drago's head. From what she had noticed, he had a large ponytail and his hair was black. Drago looked as if he had around 35 or 40 years old. He was wearing long red and golden robes that ended by his feet. His eyes were black with a hint of green, and he had a genuine smile. Runo thought the professor looked similar to a dragon but she thought the same of Tigrerra when she saw her.

The woman had taken her to Diagon Alley, to get her first magic books, her wand and her white snow owl called Lumos. Runo felt herself smiling at the memory and she looked up to the professor's table that was just at the end of the Great Hall. And she found her there, smiling back at her.

Tigrerra looked the same as when she had first seen her. Runo gave her a small wave and Tigrerra waved back a little. Then a voice broke her out of her thoughts and she stared back a head.

"Attention everyone!" Professor Drago announced loud and clear "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin!"

Whispers soon died down as professor Drago appeared a wooden stool and on top of it placed an old wizard's hat. The hat looked dusty and old, as if it was only used in certain occasions. Runo scrunched up her nose in disgust. Instantly wrinkles appeared in the hat and what appeared to be a mouth a voice started singing.

 _"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
 _But don't judge on what you see,_  
 _I'll eat myself if you can find_  
 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_  
 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_  
 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_  
 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_  
 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_  
 _So try me on and I will tell you_  
 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_  
 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_  
 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_  
 _Set Gryffindors apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
 _Where they are just and loyal,_  
 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_  
 _if you've a ready mind,_  
 _Where those of wit and learning,_  
 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
 _You'll make your real friends,_  
 _Those cunning folks use any means_  
 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
 _And don't get in a flap!_  
 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

When the hat stopped everyone gave a standing ovation to the hat. Runo herself was clapping. It's true that the hat was old but his song was really creative and a good sound of voice.

Once the applauses died down, Professor Drago took out a parchment and opened it.

"Mira Clay!" The whispers ended instantly and a girl that was just in front of Runo walked towards the stool. She had short orange hair and her eyes were blue. Once she was seated in the stool Drago placed the hat on her head. Some minutes passed and the hat exclaimed.

"RAVENCLAW!" The table with bronze and blue cheered loudly as Mira made her way towards them and sat at the table.

'So this is how the sorting goes' Runo said to herself and she suddenly became more anxious than ever.

More names kept on coming as the hat announces different houses and each of them erupted in cheers.

"Alice Gehabic!" Her friend's name got called and Runo instantly looked beside her. Alice gave her a weak smile and she walked up to the stool. Runo saw how a professor at the table smiled kindly at Alice. He definitely looked old, like he was around his fifties or sixties. He had white hair pulled back and glasses on his eyes. He was wearing a gray tux and a gray robe over it.

Once Alice was seated the hat was on her. Several minutes passed and the hat whispered something in her ear.

"RAVENCLAW!" Alice grinned as the house erupted in cheers. Runo watched as Alice made her way to the table and then she looked back at the old man. His smile had dropped and he was griping his glasses tightly as if he was about to kill someone.

'It will be best if I avoid him' the girl made a mental note about that as the sorting continued.

"Shun Kazami!" Drago said and a boy with raven black hair walked up to the stool. He had a tiny ponytail and his eyes were gold. Just like a cat. Runo felt a shiver down her spine. That boy could mean trouble. He sat on the stool and just a second had passed when the hat announced the house.

"SLYTHERIN!" The green and silver table exclaimed loudly as the Gryffindor house made a groan out of disappointment. The silent boy made his way towards the house as Runo whispered in Julie's ear.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Kazami is a strong last name inside the magic world. Most of its members have belonged between Gryffindor and Slytherin." Julie explained in a soft voice as more classmates started to pass. "It's like a constant feud between the two houses of who is going to get the next Kazami" she finished with a triumphant smile.

"Dan Kuso!" Drago exclaimed with enthusiasm as if he knew the boy. Said boy ran excitedly at the stool as he flashed a grin to the professor. He had messy brown hair. It looked like at the top of his head he was wearing some sort of blue goggles. The hat was placed on him and in an instant the hat was screaming.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The red and golden table clapped and shouted excitedly as the boy ran straight at them and high fived some of its members. Runo couldn't help but look as the boy sat down and was grinning. She felt as if she had known him from somewhere before, but couldn't pinpoint to where. She could feel herself smiling at the scene.

"Found yourself a crush?" Julie said with a mischievous smile. Runo just knitted her eyebrows in confusion.

"I don't even know him" Runo explained and Julie was about to retort something but was cut short.

"Julie Makimoto!" Professor Drago exclaimed and said girl shut up instantly.

Runo gave her friend an encouraging smile, trying to cheer her up. Of course she was failing at this, since Julie looked more nervous than before. With shaking legs, Julie made her way towards the stool and sat awkwardly. Drago gave her a sincere smile and placed the hat on her head.

The hat was mumbling something to the girl. The sorting was taking much more time than expected; both the hat and the girl seemed to be in some kind of brawl between the two. Finally the hat looked up and shouted.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" It announced. There was a silence in the air for a moment, until said table started cheering at the girl. Julie gave her new house a weak smile as she approached them and sat down at their table.

Runo felt somehow sad for her friend. Once her sorting was over she had this feeling that her friend was not happy with her house. She gulped down a not in her throat.

Then the moment of truth came.

"Runo Misaki!" Drago announced and everyone started whispering to themselves. She still wasn't moving and noticed how Tigrerra was giving her thumbs up. She inhaled and walked. Runo approached the stool slowly and felt everyone's eyes on her.

"She's the Misaki?"

"Where is her scar?"

"Did she really defeat You-Know-Who?"

Mumbles and whispers got to her ears but she was with her head held high. Runo honestly didn't know what the people were mumbling on about. She had never defeated anyone and how did they know about her scar? She reached the stool and gave the professor a little smile. He responded with the same sincerity. She sat on the stool and instantly her vision was clouded.

"Mmmh you are the Misaki child?" The hat said with amusement. It seemed as if the conversation between them was only happening inside her head.

"Yes, I'm Runo Misaki" She answered with confidence. She had this feeling that the Sorting Hat was nodding in a thoughtful way.

"Seems to be that you have similar traits as your father and mother" He announced proudly.

"You knew them?" She asked with curiosity. Runo have heard only tales about her parents by Tigrerra the week before. How they met and attended Hogwarts in their teenage years; and nothing else. She still felt foreign to her last name, as if she never knew the people in her family.

"Yes I also sorted them in here" The hat answered back and then nodded "You'll do well in the same house as them" and then concluded the sorting.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The whole table of Gryffindor stood and cheered the loudest. Runo could feel her heart ease the second it was over. She could feel how her lips curved up in a smile and ran towards her new house. She heard how the other houses were either groaning or clapping for her, but she blocked her mind from that.

Once she got there everyone within reach was hugging her and shaking her hands. She could not help but feel like a celebrity. Not something she liked though. Another name was called and everyone eased and took their places.

Runo sat down at the first place she could find. Next to her was the boy with shaggy brown hair. He looked at her with confusion written on his face. Runo just stared back at him with the same confusion. From up close she could see how messy his hair really was. He had eyes of mixed colors; at some point it looked like they were brown and at other like they were red.

"You look like you are 5 years old with those pigtails" The boy said with a mischievous grin as he poked her forehead. Several nerves were pressed inside Runo's body that she didn't suppress her anger.

"Says the boy who is wearing goggles" She answered back with a tone much more deadly. The next action came out of nowhere. Runo grabbed the goggles, pulled them back a little bit and let them go. The goggles crashed against his forehead with a heavy hit. The spot where they had hit started to look red.

"You are so going to get it, kid" He said much more seriously as he flicked her forehead.

"My name's Runo!" The blunette answered back with much more frustration and pulled down the uniform tie. They soon started bickering at each other, throwing insults here and there; both of them equally frustrated at each other but every time the students from higher years tried to separate them, they would still bicker from the other side of the table.

More names were called and each of the houses cheered for their new students. At the end of the sorting another girl with navy blue hair sat down next to Runo and introduced herself as Fabia Sheen. They shook hands and exchanged names and Runo was way calmer.

The stool vanished from the front and a woman that sat at the center of the professor's table's stood up. Runo was taken aback with the appearance of the woman. She had a slender body with long silky platinum hair that reached her back. The woman had violet eyes that were shining with happiness and empathy. She was wearing a robe with different shades of violet that reached her feet and was adorned with small pearls in her sleeves.

She definitely had an air of authority higher from of all of the professors. The woman kept on walking until she stopped in front of a wooden podium. All whispers and bickering was quieted down when she looked back at the students.

Runo could see from the other student faces, that they weren't afraid of the woman; it was more like a sign of respect. She could sense that she was the Headmistress of Hogwarts and that she had been doing a pretty good job at keeping it together and well taken care of. The woman flashed them all a sincere smile and began speaking.

"Welcome everyone; from first years to seventh years" she started saying as she looked around the whole Great Hall "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Ophal Wyvern and I am the Headmistress of Hogwarts. We are so glad to see new faces every year to bring Hogwarts to life. For the first years, we in Hogwarts are thrilled to see you joining us for the first time and I'll introduce your fellow teachers for this year."

The Headmistress turned back to her fellow professors and with a smile started. "The Deputy Headmaster Pyrus Drago, Professor in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Head of the Gryffindor House" Drago stood up and flashed the students with a grin. Many started clapping and hooping (mostly from the Gryffindor House) for the professor until he sat down.

"Haos Tigrerra Professor in Transfiguration" Runo clapped loudly at her, as Tigrerra stood up with grace and made a little bow to everyone. The cheers would come and go for each one of the professors and would stop when Wyvern was talking.

"Aquos Preyas, Professor in Herbology" A weird man stood up and waved his wand. Flowers started raining down in the Great Hall as everyone laughed. Aquos Preyas was strange, Runo stated, he was wearing a blue tux and a purple coat with yellow dots on it. His hair was in a mixture of different shades of blue and black and he had a wicked smile on his lips. Drago took out his wand and pushed him to the chair she was sitting on.

"SubTerra Golem, Professor of History of Magic and Head of Hufflepuff" The table of black and yellow cheered loudly as what looked like a man stood up. He was enormous, twice the height of Wyvern, as he started waving kindly at everyone. It looked as if the professor was made of stone and was wearing armor made out of it.

"Storm Skyress, Professor in Charms, Instructor in Flying and Head of Slytherin" A beautiful woman stood up and smiled as her house whooped and cheered for her. The woman had a long silky blond hair as it was tied up in a low braid. She was wearing a long sleeved emerald green gown that reached her feet, and it looked as if it was shining with gold.

"Darkus Hydranoid, Professor in Alchemy" A man with black hair stood up and just nodded at them. He was wearing a black sleeveless robe and on top of it what seemed like a purple scarf. He sat down quickly as Professor Storm whispered something in his ear.

"Michael Gehabic, Professor in Potions and Head of Ravenclaw" The old man who was giving everyone a death glare stood up and saluted them with a kind smile. Runo knit her eyebrows in confusion, that man was Alice's relative and he was mad at her; before and now he was waving kindly at everyone as his house cheered for him. Something didn't click for Runo.

Wyvern presented other teachers at the table, which weren't giving classes to Runo this year, so she dismissed them as she and Fabia started chatting about how excited they were about the school.

"And joining us this year will be Professor Jesse Glenn, who will be the new Astrology Teacher for the First Year Students" A young man around the age of twenty five, stood up and waved at the students. He had brown long hair tied in a ponytail and wearing green robes adorned with golden patterns. He was holding on to a black book and a little wooden cane by his right. That seemed odd to Runo, the man looked young but not healthy at all. It looked like he was starting to grow white hair and his hands were trembling every time he waved.

"We hope you enjoy this year with us" Wyvern said with a smile "And without further ado, enjoy the feast!" She clapped and trays of food appeared in each one of the long tables. Runo gasped in surprise as claps were heard and everyone started to dig in to the food. Without giving a thought Runo as well started to eat from her plate and picking anything that looked delicious.

She was sure now; she was going to love Hogwarts.

* * *

 **Hey guess I'm back, sort of...Anyway I been away long enough from this site and much more from my account and I thought it was time to upload this story. I started working on this around the start of the year so yeah I'm pretty ahead on most of the chapters, at least you won't have to worry about that. I'll try to upload this story as much as I can.**

 **As for my other stories, for the moment I don't think I'm going to continue them, and if I do, then I'll probably end up rewriting them. So yeah, sorry about that I'll check on them later on.**

 **Regarding this story, I'll try to explain it a bit more. It's basically a bunch of One Shots revolving the Bakugan Battle Brawlers (I'm surprised how I'm still obsessed in this anime...) inside the Harry Potter universe. In this story Harry Potter doesn't exist, nor the characters form the canon story, so yeah I replaced them from characters from Bakugan. And since you can notice in my previous stories, Runo is actually the main character (surprise). Most of the things that will happen are similar to the ones in the Harry Potter franchise, except for some things that are coming. Anyways stay tuned for this story and I hope you like the chapter.**

 **Oh here's a list of the characters so far and their houses in case you missed it:**

 **Runo Misaki (Gryffindor)**

 **Dan Kuso (Gryffindor)**

 **Alice Gehabic (Ravenclaw)**

 **Julie Makimoto (Hufflepuff)**

 **Shun Kazami (Slytherin)**

 **Mira Clay (Ravenclaw)**

 **Fabia Sheen (Gryffindor)**


	2. First Year: Troll Attack

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **First Year**

 **\- Troll Attack**

"Come on Runo we have to go eat breakfast!" Fabia's voice called out to Runo. The girl turned to the other way, still in bed and refusing to wake up. Fabia Sheen only huffed in annoyance and approached her friend.

"She doesn't want to wake up again?" Chan Lee, a girl with medium length black hair tied in a neat ponytail and brown eyes, asked with amusement. She was another first year student in Gryffindor and so far the three girls had enjoyed their stay.

"We'll have to do it the hard way then" Fabia cracked her hands. She moved and took hold of Runo's feet. Before the Misaki could react she was thrown to the floor, with her blanket flying around. Her head hit the floor with a loud thud.

"What's wrong with you Fabia?!" Runo asked enraged as she still was lying on the floor. She only heard a chuckle from her roommate's mouth.

"Well see you at the Great Hall Runo" Chan Lee announced as Fabia followed behind her. The door of the girl's dormitory closed and Runo was alone. With a heavy sigh, she managed to stand up and throw the blanket to her bed.

Runo then started changing into the school's uniform. So far Hogwarts was a great home for her; fresh beds every evening, delicious food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, magical lessons at every hour and an enormous castle to explore. The girl couldn't help but grin as she quickly tied her hair in a pair of pigtails and directed herself to the Great Hall.

A month and a half had already passed since the first day of school. She wasn't going to admit it, but the classes were fun to be at. Every day she got to learn a whole bunch of new stuff about this strange new world that was her parent's home for years. The most entertaining subjects for her were Defense Against the Dark Arts by Professor Drago, Potions class and Flying.

The blunette jumped with glee remembering how today another lesson of Flying was going to take place. She got to the Great Hall before she noticed and went on her way towards were her friends sat at. On her way there she caught the stare of her friend Alice Gehabic and waved at her. The red head waved eagerly back at her.

Runo had still been in touch with Alice and Julie. After they had gotten separated during the Sorting Ceremony she hoped to talk with them again. And in every class she had with either the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw house she would make sure to sit with them. Alice by far was one of the most curious and intelligent people on the class. Every time something picked her interest she would ask the teacher in charge about it. While Julie was just annoying her endlessly. Runo thought the girl's comments sometimes were completely full of jealousy or with an air of superiority. Nonetheless the blunette didn't know what the girl was jealous about; she had nothing to offer.

The Gryffindor got to her table and sat down right next to Fabia. Without further ado she started to eat from every basket. Everything that looked edible she would eat it. With a slice of apple on her hand she was being pulled up from her seat.

"Classes are starting Runo, let's go" Chan Lee said excitedly. Most of the students stood up from their seats and left the Great Hall, in direction towards their classes. Runo followed behind her roommates to their class.

* * *

"We'll start the class with more basic lessons of Quidditch!" Professor Skyress announced from the sky. She had a different attire since the last time Runo had seen her. Instead of her emerald robes, she seemed to be wearing a more fitted type of clothes. If the blunette recalled correctly it looked like a Slytherin Quidditch uniform.

It was the second class of the day. The Training Grounds were filled with first years of the houses Gryffindor and Slytherin. The heat was insufferable as not one single cloud was up on the sky. Runo was trying not to tire herself out, but with the rays of the sun it was impossible.

"First, we'll start with the usual items" Skyress descended from her broom to the ground to meet them. Once there, she moved towards a wooden box placed at the side. She opened it and indicated everyone to follow and see the insides of the box. A crowd gathered all around the box, and Runo wasn't able to see that clearly.

"This ball is the Quaffle, it is twelve inches in diameter…" Runo only managed to see glimpses of red in front of the crowd. She was getting irritated by now. "The three Chasers carry and pass the Quaffle to their opponent's goal hoops, where they try to score points by throwing it through one of the three rings. Each time it passes through the hoops, the scoring team gains ten points. Also, Keepers must defend the Quaffle from the front of the ring and not the back." Professor Skyress continued to explain as everyone listened intently.

"This one is the Bludger, it is ten inches in diameter and is made of iron, be careful with it" The teacher continued to explain how it worked the ball and what role it played on Quidditch "There are two Bludgers used in every match, which are bewitched to fly around and try to knock the players off of their brooms. It is the Beater's job to protect their teammates from the Bludgers and at the same time aim them towards the opposing players."

The blunette was still moving from one side to another trying to get a look at it, until Fabia took her arm and pulled her inside the crowd. Runo was now able to see the elements Skyress was showing off. There were three balls situated in the box. One was red with some curvatures at the sides. The next one was in a shade of blue and black and it was the biggest out of the three. And the last one was tiny one made out of gold.

"This last one is the Golden Snitch" Professor Skyress said proudly. She picked up the tiny ball and it suddenly spurted out tiny silver wings "It is a walnut-sized gold colored sphere with silver wings. It flies around the Quidditch field at high speeds. The Seeker's goal is to catch the Snitch before the other team's Seeker, which is worth one hundred and fifty points. The game can only end when the Snitch has been caught"

Runo felt amazed at the tiny golden ball. It looked so beautifully carved and made from every place; she was in the need of touching it. While being entranced with the ball, she couldn't hear the cries of everyone around her, until she was pushed to the ground by a heavy force. Air had been sucked out of her stomach when the Bludger collided with her body. With great force she managed to drop the Bludger to the ground as she made a crouching position on the grass.

Many students went over to her and called out for help. She heard orders from Professor Skyress to move away as she approached the girl. Her mind was spinning and she felt like vomiting all of her breakfast.

"Misaki are you alright?" Skyress placed a hand on her back as she asked with sincere concern. Runo only managed to nod, trying to regain her breath as she sat up. The iron bludger was at her side and she couldn't help but to glare at it. How in the world did that thing collided with her?

She looked up and noticed a group of guys snickering right at her. Runo was already used to that kind of treatment but nonetheless she felt angry towards them. One of the boys had mint green hair and looked like he really didn't care what had happened. Another had blond hair with purple eyes that was laughing the loudest. A brown haired boy with red eyes had his mouth open and eyes widened in surprise. He was the only student in Gryffindor and the rest belonged in Slytherin. And the last one had raven black hair and was only glaring at the blond boy.

The blunette brushed her teacher away and stood up. She took deep breaths and started walking towards the group. As she made her way towards them, she was able to recognize the Gryffidor, he was the one who kept bugging her about her pigtails. Once in front of them, she just glared.

"Which one of you did it?" She asked. The black haired boy and green head just looked away from the scene. The blond one was snickering evilly at her and the brunette just gulped down. Her hands were clenched to the side as her anger kept on boiling.

"He did it" The blond said smugly. The brunette's eyes widen at the statement as he shot dirty looks at the other guy. He was about to retort something back at him but Runo stopped him. She didn't want to show her aggressive side just yet, but she felt the need to do it. The girl only pushed the boy hard enough for him to fall back down to the ground. The blond one burst out laughing and Runo decided to teach him a lesson as well. Before she knew, she had slapped the guy so hard that he fell to his knees, one cheek red.

"How dare you touch me?!" The blond one shouted with arrogance "I am Hydron Prince, my father is Zenoheald Prince. He works at the ministry-" Runo shot him a dirty look and she felt already annoyed by the guy.

"I don't care who your father is or what is your name" She kept glaring at him and the guy only reddened with anger "If you mess with me again you are going to regret it" With that she turned to the brunette. He was standing up with the help of the black haired guy. She was still shooting him dirty looks and the guy only stood up straighter.

"That's enough" Professor Skyress interfered before Runo could say something to him "Kuso go to your head of House" The boy with the last name Kuso only nodded and made his way to Professor Drago's office "Prince go to my office, I'll see you when the class is over" The blond looked like he wanted to retort something but with the glare Skyress sent his way made him shut up. He went on his way without saying anything back "Grit and Kazami, I'll like to speak with you about this incident" The other two boys just nodded as the teacher focused on the girl "Misaki I would like you to go to the Infirmary, just to make sure you feel fine, and also head over to your Head's office for your behavior" Runo only frowned but didn't retort anything back at the teacher. With that she made her way to the infirmary.

* * *

"I still can't believe you did that Runo! Hydron Prince is one of the nastiest students from our year!" Julie whined beside her on Charms class. Runo only huffed, already growing annoyed with the scolding she was getting. She had had enough after the long talk with Professor Drago. He had agreed with her on the matter of defending oneself, but he had also scolded her on taking such rash actions; and to think that this was only the third class of the day.

"Are you even listening to me Runo?!" Julie screamed in her ear, almost making the girl drop out of her seat. Skyress shot them a glance, but continued with her lesson about a levitation charm. Runo shot her friend a frustrated glance but didn't say anything else, trying to pay attention to the class.

"Now everyone please take out your wands and repeat after me" Skyress cleared her throat as she pointed her wand at a feather in front of her "Wingardium Leviosa" with a flick of her wand, the feather started fly away. Everyone amazed by the display started reciting the spell.

Runo pointed her wand at the feather in front of her "Wingardium Leviosa". The feather did not move nor stir at all. "Wingardium Leviosa" The girl tried again with an angrier tone of voice, but the feather still wasn't moving. "Windgardium Leviosa!" Still the feather did not move. She was about to rip the feather off, but Julie stopped her before doing it.

"Geez Runo, calm down" The silver haired girl only frowned at her "You're saying it wrong. It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long." She took out her wand and pointed at the feather in front of her and smirked "Just watch me, Wingardium Leviosa" Julie's feather started to swiftly fly away as everyone stared with opened mouths.

"Very good Makimoto, 5 points for Hufflepuff!" The black and yellow students cheered as the feather kept on flying away. Julie shot Runo a sly smile, which made the blunette boil with rage and annoyance. She didn't even bother to try the spell again as her friend kept of bragging about how she could teach her to do the spell.

The class ended with a few students managing to do the levitation spell. Professor Skyress only advised them to keep practicing the spell and to start reading the next spells. She dismissed the class and all of the students picked up their stuff and left the classroom.

Julie was still bragging about her achievement as Runo quickly gathered up her stuff to head towards the next class. Without saying a goodbye to her friend she got out of the classroom and went on her way, still in a foul mood.

"Someone's in a bad mood" Chan Lee stated as she appeared on her left and Fabia on her right. Runo only sighed in frustration and started to scratch on her scar. It was an old habit of hers to do it while she felt either frustrated or nervous.

"Give her a break Lee, after Makimoto kept on gloating about her points forever I assume Runo feels quite annoyed" Fabia only gave Runo a pity smile.

"You couldn't have said it better" Runo said annoyed "You're saying it wrong. It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long." She mimicked Julie's voice in a girly tone of voice that her roommates laughed at. Without noticing someone pushed her out of the way and passed through them. Julie was holding her book tightly to her chest and Runo could notice how her eyes were starting to water. She felt horrible afterwards.

"You think she heard?" Fabia shot them a worried glance. Chan Lee also looked uncomfortable as she saw Runo.

"Worst day ever" Runo grumbled and kept on walking.

* * *

A week had passed and Runo didn't feel any better than the last. After what she had said about Julie, the Hufflepuff had been ignoring her all week and refusing to hear her out. Runo wanted to apologize with her, but she wasn't cooperating at all.

The blunette grumbled in annoyance as she sat down next to Fabia in the Great Hall. It was the night of the highly anticipated Halloween Feast at Hogwarts. Runo had celebrated Halloween back at the orphanage with the usual trick or treating around the street but nothing out of the ordinary. According to Alice, the celebration of Halloween was a big deal at Hogwarts; they usually made a huge feast for the whole school and an entertainment at the end of it.

Runo could now see how serious Hogwarts was about it. The Great Hall had been decorated with live bats, pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, the ghosts around the school all spooking kids at their tables and there were rumors that Wyvern had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment.

Everyone was eating merrily at their table, chatting and celebrating Halloween, but Runo felt left out. The sense of remorse had been nagging her the whole week, and it wouldn't stop. She looked over at the Hufflepuff table and tried to spot her silver haired friend. Everywhere she looked she couldn't spot the girl.

"Fabia do you know where Julie is?" Runo asked curiously. Her friend swallowed a piece of carrot cake before answering.

"You mean Makimoto?" Runo only nodded as her friend looked uncomfortable "I've heard that she locked herself up in the girl's bathrooms"

"She's been spending her free time in there" Chan Lee added as she took a bit out of her apple. The blunette only felt worse than before.

"Well I'm going to look for her" Runo stood up and not listening to her friend's complains she headed towards the exit of the Great Hall. Ignoring the glances she was shot she continued on her way towards her friend. Without stopping the girl got to the bathrooms and entered. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful except for a stall in the corner. Runo could see a pair of black shoes in it, and a quiet sobbing reaching her ears.

"Julie?" Runo asked hesitantly. The sobbing stopped and the blunette knew that it was her friend. She made her way towards the stall and stood there "I know you've been avoiding me this week and I know that it was wrong what I had said" she started to play with the ends of her hair "You were only trying to help me and I hurt you back, I'm sorry for acting that way" The blunette knew she wasn't seeing her but even though she bowed down "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble"

She stood up and the bathroom remained quiet after her apology. With a saddened expression Runo made her way towards the door. Then she heard the stall being opened. Julie was watching her with tears on her eyes and her hair messier than ever. Runo felt like crying a little too.

"I forgive you" The Hufflepuff cleared away the tears from her face "I'm sorry for the annoying comments I made that day, I already knew how you felt and made it worse" The two of them made their way towards each other and hugged. Runo's chest felt more light that before as Julie hugged her back. The pair broke apart and smiled at each other.

"I bet you missed me the most" Julie said in a sneaky voice. The blunette only laughed as she poked her stomach.

"I bet it was the other way around"

"You wish"

They laughed again, more merrily than before. As they made their way towards the exit, the door was being opened. A creature about twelve feet tall was standing right before them. It had only two toes and his skin was pale-grey. Along with it he was carrying a wooden club.

The creature looked pissed before it settled his eyes on them.

"T-Troll" Julie shakily said. Runo only gulped down as nerves started to appear at the back of her head. The Hufflepuff only stood there looking horrified at the creature. The troll noticed the girl's presence and looked at them. The blunette noticed the creature rising up his cub, and quickly grabbed her friend's upper arm, pulling both of them into a stall as the troll smashed the sinks.

Both of them screamed out as the troll kept on smashing the sinks and then went for the stalls. Runo pulled her friend down as pieces of wood were sent flying everywhere. Covering her head she sank into the floor with her friend as the troll kept smashing everything to pieces. She felt the wood slamming against her back and pushing her to the floor. An intense pain was shot up instantly as she tried to bit back a scream.

The troll stopped as the bathroom was a wreck. Noticing the girls again, he started to walk over them with his cub raised. Not being able to move from their position, the girls only screamed and waited for the impact.

"Incendio!" Alice Gehabic stood by the door, wand raised. Suddenly the troll's torn clothes lit up. The troll only tried to smash them with his hand but the flames kept on lit. Alice looked scared as her wand trembled and her eyes were darting all around the room.

"Alice! Get out of here!" Runo screamed at the girl. The red head noticed her friends and quickly tried to make her way towards them, but the troll moved in front of her.

"Not without you!" Alice was about to make a dash for her friends but the troll swatted her away with his hand. The girl collided with the floor and let out a gasp of air.

"Get out of here!" Runo tried to move out of her spot, but the pain wouldn't let her. Julie had stopped screaming but tears were still running out of her eyes. Suddenly the door was smacked open once again and two students were at the door, wands raised. Runo recognized them right away; there were two of the guys from her Flying class. One of them was the brunette on Gryffindor and the other was the black haired boy from Slytherin.

The brunette jumped into action right away. He ran at the troll's cub and held on for it as the troll raised it over his head. The boy landed on the creature's head and started to smack him with his fist. The troll didn't seem affected by the boy's attempts but tried to brush the boy off. The Slytherin moved towards Alice as he helped her up and stood between her and the troll.

"Dan get off of him! I have a plan!" The black haired guy said calmly. He raised his wand but the brunette was still not listening.

"No way, Shun! I think I am damaging him!" The brunette was picked up by one of the troll's hands. He was now dangling in front of him as the boy tried to get out of his grip.

" _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " The Slytherin recited the spell and suddenly the cub was on the air. The troll noticing his missing cub released the Gryffindor from his grip and turned to look for his weapon. The brunette moved away quickly as the black haired boy moved his wand and the cub smacked the troll on is head. The creature crashed with the floor as the ground shook with the impact. The troll didn't move after that.

Runo let out a sigh of relief as she saw the three students making their way towards her and Julie. Alice used the Levitation Spell on the pieces of wood in top of them and moved them to the side of the room. The boys helped her and Julie to stand up. Runo's back still hurt but she felt better now standing. She was holding on to the shoulder of the brunette boy, trying not to scowl at him.

"Alice how did you find us?" Runo asked at the redhead, as she moved towards Julie to help her stand straight.

"I had seen you walk out of the Great Hall at first" Alice explained "Then Professor Glenn had stated that a troll had infiltrated the castle and made it's way towards the girls bathrooms. Then Fabia and Chan Lee told me you and Julie where here."

"And we thought she wanted to confront the troll on her own" The Gryffindor boy said "So we followed her to stop her but you know the rest" Runo rolled her eyes at the explanation and she knew the guy had watched her do it. Sure, he and his friend had saved her and her friend's lives, but she was still angry about the incident. Noticing her dark aura, the brunette only took a deep breath and spoke.

"I'm sorry for what I did before" The brunette was now looking at her, and he started to mess up his hair even more "Hydron started playing with that stupid ball and then dared me to throw it at you, since you are the Misaki girl" He gave her a pleading smile, but she wasn't budging "I know what I did was wrong, and no one should do that to anyone, I'm very sorry about the whole incident."

"I accept your apology" Runo calmly stated and let out a sigh "Though you should stay clear from that Hydron, doesn't sound like a nice person to be around" and gave him a little smile. "And thanks for saving our lives" He only nodded back with a smile and helped her walk over to the exit. Alice and the Slytherin student were helping Julie walk, since she was still in a state of shock after the events. "I'm Runo Misaki"

"Dan Kuso at your service" he showed her a wicked grin and then pointed back at his friend "He is Shun Kazami, but since he doesn't talk much I will present him"

"Can I ask you a question?" The boy with confusion only nodded "But what does it matter that my last name is Misaki?" The question had been bugging her since she had arrived at Hogwarts. "I mean it's just my last name, it's not like its special or anything"

"Well it's more just than your last name Runo" Alice said with a confused expression. All of them were looking strangely at the blunette but she still didn't know what they thought about. "I mean you defeated You-Know-Who so of course it's a huge deal"

"What?" She grew more confused than before "Defeated You-Know-Who? What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me you don't know" Dan said with an incredulous face "The darkest wizard of all time?" Runo's face only grew with confusion. The brunette kept quiet and then asked solemnly "Do you know how your parents died?"

"Well it was a car accident wasn't it?" Runo grimaced a little bit "I mean that's what they told me at the orphanage and Tigrerra only told me that my last name was famous because my parents were great students here"

"Car accident? Orphanage?" The brunette looked shocked. The blunette's mind was a mess; was it a lie that her parents had died in a car accident? And who was You-Know-Who? She felt clueless to her past and just as she was about to ask more questions the teachers entered the bathroom.

"What happened here?!" Professor Drago asked. He was in the company of Professors Tigrerra, Skyress, Jesse and Preyas. They had their wands out but once they saw the fallen troll they rushed towards the students to help them "What is the meaning of this?"

"It was my fault professor" Julie was still holding on to Alice. Runo was about to step in but her friend only sent her a look as she continued "I was at the bathrooms before the announcement of the troll was made. Runo here came to warn me about it and before we knew it the troll had entered the bathroom. After that we got injured and Alice, Shun and Dan came in to rescue us"

"And why didn't you call a professor?" Drago looked at the three other students as he crossed his arms. Tigrerra and Skyress started to look around the troll as Preyas and Jesse started repairing the bathroom.

"I did" Alice answered straight away "I had informed my Head of House and he of course told me you would take care of it, but I couldn't leave my friends alone"

"What about you two?" Drago looked now at Dan and Shun. Dan looked nervous as he was about to speak but his friend cut him off, preventing him from saying some kind of stupidity.

"We saw her going to the bathroom alone and we had heard that the troll was in there" Shun said with a blank expression on his face "We thought she wanted to confront the troll alone so we went to stop her" Drago only nodded.

"While it was indeed brave what all of you did for each other, I still think that you should have waited for a teacher, you are lucky this troll didn't do more damage than just this" Professor Drago only sent them a stern look but in the end just sighed "I'll only take five points from each of you for this, so don't do it again. Jesse accompany these students to their respective common rooms"

"Sure thing Drago" Professor Jesse bowed and lead the students out of the bathroom and guided them to their respective common rooms. The way to each of the common rooms was quiet since none of them felt like talking. But Runo preferred it that way she had so many questions on her head, that with Jesse here she wouldn't be able to ask. They first dropped off Julie and Shun and after them they left Runo and Dan in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, as Professor Jesse lead Alice to the Ravenclaw common room.

"Pig Snout" Dan said before the portrait started to sing or engage them in a conversation. The two of them entered the room, quietly as possible as the door behind them closed. The common room was empty as most of the students had gone to bed already.

"Wait" Runo stopped Dan of going into the boy's dormitory. He turned to her with a sour expression "How did my parents die?"

"Look Runo, if you don't know, then I don't think I'm the correct person for telling you this" He looked around the room avoiding her eyes "I mean I'm not good at the sentimental stuff and what not, and I think you better ask Tigrerra about this rather than me. I mean she is a teacher and she may be more informed than I am about this topic" He gave her a sad smile "I'm sorry"

"It's alright" Runo tried not to stay mad at him. But he was right it was better to confront Tigrerra about the topic, since she had claimed to know her parents since they were students at Hogwarts.

"Hey cheer up" He patted her shoulder "At least we didn't get killed by a troll tonight" He laughed and Runo couldn't help but doing it as well. Her mind was still full of questions regarding her parents but for the moment she felt really happy for the troll incident. She felt like maybe she had formed a group with all of them that night. Because who wouldn't feel like that after you fought a troll together inside a bathroom?

* * *

 **New chapter since I am almost starting school again. Is this going to be the start for the group of friends? Mostly yes, except for Shun, but don't worry he'll join them later on. Oh and as for Marucho, do not worry he'll appear later in the story. As for this chapter I don't really know how to feel about it, I felt that it was kind of cool how they formed. Anyways for the time being I already finished the next chapter and I only have to revise it, so stay tuned for that. And a big thanks for reviewing the story, it really means a lot to me.**

 **Anther thing in this first year of the story, Runo doesn't actually know what happened to her parents, that's why she's so baffled about why she is so famous. She'll find out one way or another do not worry about that. So that's pretty much it, if you like this chapter or this story, please review it, it will mean a lot to me. And I'll try to upload the next chapter in the next week or so and I hoped you like this chapter.**


	3. First Year: Christmas At Hogwarts

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **First Year**

 **\- Christmas At Hogwarts**

The Great Hall was full of people with their luggage, students meeting with their parents and others saying their goodbyes to their friends. Runo Misaki watched them come and go as she ate her breakfast in peace. Months had gone by in a blink of an eye and December was already here. The castle grounds were full of white snow on every corner.

The classes had already finished and the students had the chance to return to their homes to celebrate Christmas with their families and return at the start of January to resume with their courses. Both of her roommates were going to their respective homes as Runo decided to stay and celebrate Christmas on the school. She thought that it was better celebrating it at Hogwarts than being locked in her room back at the orphanage.

Julie and Alice were also heading back to their homes. Julie's sister Daisy was coming to celebrate with her family the holiday after her trip to America and Alice and her grandfather were traveling to Russia to meet up with some older relatives. As for Dan, he had claimed that he wanted to stay at Hogwarts since Shun wouldn't be able to visit his grandfather back in Japan.

After the troll incident, Runo had been spending a lot of time with the brunette. They would partner up in the classes they had and would talk about anything. Most of the time they were bickering with each other and getting on their nerves, but at the end of the day they would make up. As for Shun, she would only see him when Dan was usually around or when they had classes together. He didn't talk much, only to tease the brunette or to participate in class, but most of the time he was silent. The blunette really did wonder how the Dan and Shun were best friends.

"You are not going back?" Dan's voice brought her out her thoughts. He sat down next to her, picked up a plate and started to place all kinds of food in his plate. "I thought you were going to celebrate Christmas back at your place"

"I'm not too fond of going back there and less in Christmas time" She picked up a napkin and gave it to him "Clean your mouth you eat like a pig"

"I do not!" The boy glared at her but still took the napkin from her hands "Your voice sound like a sheep dying"

"Take that back Kuso" Runo's blood boiled. She was ready to argue back with her friend but then Alice came up to their table, suitcase on hand.

"I see you two are getting along" The Ravenclaw said with a sweet smile as the other two students kept on muttering responses "May I ask both of you a favor?"

"Sure, what do you need Alice?" The blunette turned back to her friend with a surprised look on her face.

"Could you check out something in the library for me?" Alice clasped her hands together "Please I'm sure I won't have time to investigate about it during the break"

"You owe us one" Runo smile nonetheless "What do you need?"

The red head flashed her a smile and then approached the girl "Look for a term called 'The Philosopher's Stone'" The blunette only frowned at the girl, before she continued "I heard my grandfather talking about it with one of the professors, he said that the night of the troll incident someone tried to steal it from here"

"Wait, are you serious?" And Alice only nodded "But why would they need a stone? Or why would they have it here?"

"That's what I would like to find out, but if I ask my grandfather he would definitely know something's up" Her friend only gave her a weak smile.

"Don't worry we'll look for it" Dan added as he bit a French toast and nodded towards Runo. The blunette smiled and nodded at Alice.

"Thanks a lot both of you" The girl bowed "I have to go now, grandfather is waiting for me, I wish you both a Merry Christmas" With that Alice waved and left the Great Hall behind.

"So we have to look for this stone now?" Dan asked now biting down an apple.

"Looks like we are" Runo said with a bored expression "Let's go and entertain ourselves with something fun"

"We can play Wizard's Chess" Dan shrugged as he finished with the apple "I mean I'm pretty good at it, but I bet you don't even know how to play, so I could easily beat your ass"

"Oh is that a bet Kuso?" The blunette was a very competitive person when it came to games and such "I think you are scared that I could learn faster and then beat you" She gave him a glare, but he only shrugged back, as if he wasn't really intimidated by her attitude.

"Believe me, it's going to be the other way around" Dan stood up from his seat "Let's go to the library so I could show you and we can start searching for that stone"

"Oh you are on" Runo followed after him, determined to beat the brunette and make him eat his words as they made their way to the library.

* * *

"Checkmate! Another win for me!"

"You are cheating!"

"It's called winning with a strategy"

"You lied, you are totally cheating!"

"I told you I was going to beat you!"

"Another round, this isn't over!"

The arguments between Dan and Runo were heard all over the library, though they were the only people in it, as they kept on screaming at each other.

They had taken a table at the back, where several piles of books were arranged next to each other and the set of Wizard's Chess was placed in the center. Runo was sitting on a chair, as she kept moving from one position to another. Dan was constantly sitting and standing up to take more books. So far no one had found information about the Philosopher's Stone or something related to it.

Runo was frustrated at the lack of information about the stone, but she felt even more for the fact that she was still losing to Dan. They had had 13 matches of Wizard's Chess so far and she had only managed to win five. True to his words, the brunette was a really good player and she was still trying to know the rules.

"Still nothing about this Philosopher's Stone" Runo grumbled as she tossed another book onto a chair "Queen to H5" The white figurine of the Queen started to move across the board until it stopped on the H5.

"Nothing on these ones either, Knight to F6" Dan said as the black figurine moved to its new position "I wonder what is that stone all about"

"I figured you were the ones causing all of the noise in here" A voice said that made the teens snap out of their game. Shun Kazami was standing in front of their table with a bored expression as Dan greeted him warmly "Move your Queen to F7" He turned to Runo with a serious expression.

Runo's face grew in confusion at the game. Wizard's Chess was just as difficult as the normal chess. Shun just kept staring at her and the girl only obliged "Queen to F7" The white figure moved and smashed the Pawn piece as a ding rang in the air, indicating a checkmate. The figure went back to their positions on the board. "I win!"

"Now that's cheating!" Dan pouted and shot a glare at Shun "You are not supposed to help her!" Shun only ignored the brunette as he sat across from them in another chair.

"I'm gaining up on you Kuso!" Runo celebrated her victory "Thanks a lot Shun!" The Slytherin only nodded as another game of Wizard Chess began.

"What are you doing here anyway, it is unusual to find Dan in a library and less with a book" Shun said with a smug smile on his face. The brunette shot him a dirty glare and threw a book at his face. Quickly the Slytherin dodged the book and only shrugged back at Dan.

"Damn you and your ninja reflexes" Dan muttered under his breath as he picked up another book. Runo only smiled at the interaction between the two as an idea popped in her mind.

"Hey Shun just wondering, do you know something about the 'Philosopher's Stone'?" The blunette asked hopefully. He looked at her and crossed his arms in his chest as in a thoughtful way.

"My grandfather has talked about it recently, why do you need to know?" He asked back with an eyebrow raised.

"Alice told us to look for it during the Christmas break" The blunette answered "She thinks that the stone is hidden inside the castle and someone tried to steal it during the troll attack but we don't know anything about it"

"But why would that stone be hidden in this castle?" Shun questioned and the girl only fell silent. She really did not understand the whole concept of this stone, and Shun's questionings were correct; why would the staff at Hogwarts want to hide something that it could be extremely dangerous?

"Guys I think I found something" Dan called out to them as he passed them on a book he had been reading. Runo took it as Shun only scooted closer to her and both of them started reading the passage.

 _The famed alchemist Nicolas Flamel created the only Philosopher's Stone, which is known to exist. Flamel used the Elixir of Life made from the stone to extend his and his wife Perenelle's lifespan._

"So this guy Flamel created this stone that made him and his wife live longer?" Runo asked. She took a closer look at the information at the book and found that the last part of the sentence had been blurred and it was impossible to read. "Let's start investigation for this Nicholas Flamel and this thing the Elixir of Life"

"Let me look at it" Shun said as he took the book out of her hands and started revising it. He skimmed quickly over most of the page and started to skip pages from the book. Finally he put it down on the table with a defeated expression "Nothing else in here that's relevant"

"Let's try looking more in this section" Runo suggested but the raven haired boy only shook his head.

"Let's look in Restricted Section" The guy stood up and went on his way towards the end of the library. The blunette turned to Dan but he only grinned and went on after his friend. With a sigh the girl followed after those two as they made their way to the end of the library.

She had heard little things about the Restricted Section at the library; how most of the books stored in there were filled with black magic, how only older students or teachers were allowed to go in there. Alice had spent a lot of time in the library and apparently this was the only section she hadn't dared to go into.

The group got to a row of bookshelves that were separated from the rest. The only thing dividing them was a rope in between that held a sign. Behind the rope, there were rows of books all over the place and even the lights were lower on that side of the library. The air felt thicker and Runo could feel quite nervous standing just in front of it.

"Do you think we can find information in here?" The blunette tried to ask casually but her voice was shaking and she was having a bad feeling about the whole situation. Dan looked quite nervous as well; his eyes were moving all over the place and he kept scratching his head while messing up his hair even more. Shun looked calm as he stood in front of the entrance. He was looking over the whole section with a cold gaze. He didn't respond to her question, and he just simply walked over the rope and entered the section.

"What do you think you are doing?!" A woman's voice rang out with anger. Quickly Runo and Dan turned around and were met with a pair of red eyes glaring back at them. The girl jumped back in surprise at the sudden apparition of the woman. She was quite tall and looked like she was around her fifties. She had a pair of red eyes where glasses were placed over them, blue hair that was neatly pulled in a bun while some white strands were sticking out, and she was wearing a navy blue suit and a pair of black heels that looked quite uncomfortable. The woman was glaring at them and over her hand she was holding a notebook.

"Well are you telling me or not?!" The woman snapped at them with a bad attitude "Or will I have to take out points from your houses?!"

"There is no need for that Madam Sirena" Shun said calmly as he stepped out of the Restricted Section. The glare of the woman was still there but the boy didn't look nervous or scared.

"My friend lost something around here and we thought that it might had fallen over there, don't worry about it" Dan said trying not to sound suspicious.

"And what thing may that be?" Madam Sirena had stopped talking in a loud tone but she still sounded in a bad attitude. Runo was really starting to get annoyed by this woman.

"If I may speak, but that doesn't concern you" The blunette said as she shot the woman a glare. The librarian was about to retort something back at her, but Runo was being pulled away towards their table by Dan as Shun followed closely behind.

"Insolent child! I'll take with Professor Dragonoid about this!" The woman kept on shouting but Runo didn't bother to hear her shouts. The group got to their table, picked up all of their stuff and left without hesitation.

"Well, that was a pleasant visit, I'm sure we are all banned from going back there" Dan said sarcastically and the girl only rolled her eyes at him. For the moment she would have to find a way to get in the Restricted Section; as scary as it looked she would have to find a way to enter it, if she wanted to know more about the stone it would be necessary. With another sigh, the trio made their way towards the Great Hall where the dinner would be soon served after a day spent in the library.

* * *

Runo awoke by a little tapping over her window. She was scrambled all around her bed, and her hair was in two loose pigtails. With a yawn coming out of her mouth she sat up in her bed and threw the covers of the bed to the floor. The blunntte stood up and went towards the window next to her. Outside it was already snowing again and the castle could hardly be seen. The tapping was heard again when Runo noticed her little mascot tapping the glass.

"Come on in buddy" Runo quickly opened the window and her white owl swiftly flew inside of the room. The girl closed the window and turned towards her little mascot. Lumos had a little package hanging from her beak and the girl retrieved it easily. It was a little 'Merry Christmas' card, torn apart from the sides and was sent from the orphanage. She sighed and threw the card in a drawer next to her. She moved towards Lumos and started scratching her head. The owl looked pleased enough as it flew towards her usual spot, on top of one of the posts from Runo's bed and stared sleeping in there.

Runo stifled out a chuckle as she started to tidy up her bed. Once she finished the girl hanged her pajamas to her usual clothes for the past week. A pair of denim jeans, a royal blue long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of black sneakers. She combed her hair and tied it up in two neat pigtails and went towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

"It's time you woke up!" Dan voice shouted as she came down the stairs to meet with her friend "Merry Christmas, we have presents to open!" He said with a goofy grin as he ran towards the corner of the common room.

Runo's eyes widened, she had forgotten about Christmas. She looked back at Dan who began shouting again, telling her to hurry up. With a smile the girl followed the brunette as he excitedly ran towards a Christmas tree at the corner of the room and she sat down on a couch to admire it. The Hogwarts staff had placed a pine tree in each common room of the houses. The Christmas tree was decorated with beautiful golden ornaments, red and white spheres from one side to another, and a shinning star that stood at the top.

They were the only students out in the common room since it was still pretty early in the morning. Dan had a huge grin on his face as he picked up his presents and sat down next to her in the couch. He placed most of his presents on his lap and started to tear apart the wrapping paper in each of them.

"Why don't you go look for your presents?" Dan looked up to her with a confused face.

"I already received my card from the orphanage" Runo only shrugged as the brunette opened up a package wrapped in a red paper. Once he saw what it was, his face lost cheerfulness, as the package revealed a knit red sweater with a golden D at the center. Runo smiled at the sweater and snatched it from his hands. "This is so cute!"

"Hey give it back!" Dan face was red with embarrassment as he managed to snatch his sweater from the girl's grip. "Go look down the tree, I saw your name in some stuff" He said with a huff, not looking at her. The blunette was going to argue something back, but decided to try it out anyhow. She walked towards it, knelt in front of it and started to look. Names of people she didn't know where all over the place, as she picked them and put them back down. A sigh was released from her lips as she kept on looking.

The out of nowhere she picked up a large box, wrapped in green and blue colors and had her name. Her hands trembled when she picked it up and checked again if the present was truly hers. Indeed it was. With a teary smile, the girl moved to the spot where she had found it, and much to her surprise found more presents in there. She felt the luckiest person in the world when she picked them all up and made her way where Dan was still unwrapping presents. The girl placed the presents carefully on the floor and she sat down with a big smile on her lips. She had around 6 presents in front of her. The girl let out a chuckle as she picked the first one up and neatly removed the wrapping paper. It was a gift from Alice, and it was a book of Ancient Runes. The next one was a perfume of lavender with a touch of mint from Julie; then a box of Sugared Butterfly Wings from Tigrerra. She had also received a sweater similar to Dan's but with an R on the middle; then a box of Chocolate frogs from Dan, that she felt very grateful for. There was also a light blue fine quill from Amanuesis Quills Shop back at Diagon Alley from Shun. And the last one didn't have a name on it. It had only a note saying 'Your father had this. Use it wisely and Merry Christmas' and Runo didn't have a clue on who had sent it. She opened it and found that it was just an ordinary cloak, it had black and greenish patterns over it, but it looked normal aside from that.

"Did you like the sweater?" Dan said in a quiet tone of voice. The girl looked up at him, and noticed he was looking away biting down on his lip "I talked with my mum and told her about you and she insisted on giving you one, I hope you don't mind it"

"I love it" Runo exclaimed with happiness. She saw the surprised look on Dan's face as she slid the sweater over her head and wore it down "I appreciate the thought, thank you Dan"

"You're welcome Runo" The brunette said with a sincere smile and kept on opening presents. That's how most of the day unfolded for both of them; after the finished opening their presents, they had went to the Great Hall to eat breakfast, then they met up with Shun, played out in the snow, eating diner and going to bed afterwards. And Runo had never felt happier in a past Christmas. She was bursting with happiness the whole way towards the girls' dormitory. The blunette let out a squeal once she closed the door of the dormitory and jumped into her bed, not bothering to even change her clothes. Lumos let out a squeak but didn't move from her position.

"Best Christmas ever!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Runo placed her presents over her trunk and smiled happily at doing it. When finished she looked over at her bed and saw the cloak she was given. Without giving a thought she threw it over at the trunk. Suddenly the trunk disappeared. The girl blinked and kept on staring.

"What happened?" She said and didn't move from her spot. The blunette inhaled a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She shouldn't be so surprised she was attending a magic school after all. Runo walked towards where her trunk usually laid but nothing was in front of her. She knelt down and extended her hand. The trunk was still there, but it was still invisible. A fabric was draped over it she realized, but the only thing that came to her mind was the cloak.

"What is this?" She mumbled and grabbed hold of the fabric and threw it off. The trunk appeared once again as she gaped at the cloak in her hand. She took a closer look at the fabric as her mind started to race. The blunette draped the cloak once again over her trunk and it became invisible once again.

"You make things invisible" Runo realized as she took the cloak off the trunk. She was surprised at the whole thing and checked again if she was right. She hid her arm over the cloak and watched as it became invisible. "This is so cool" The blunette smiled.

Then a thought hit her mind. She could use the cloak to go into the Restricted Section without getting caught. She draped the cloak over herself, hoping she was right about the cloak being invisible. Runo didn't waste more time and exited the girl's dormitory, the library set on her mind. The blunette left the Gryffindor common room at a quick pace as she looked to one side to another. It was already around midnight and she was sure that if someone saw her, she could get in serious trouble.

Runo got to the library just in time to see Madame Sirena leaving the library. With a mischievous smile the girl entered the library, with a direction on mind. Rows of bookcases flew by in the girl's vision as she kept walking straight ahead. Her heartbeat quickened but she kept on going inside the place. Finally, she stopped in front of the cartel that indicated the entrance of the Restricted Section. With a deep breath she entered the darkest section on the library, looking at every bookcase she kept on passing.

" _Lumos_ " Runo whispered as the tip of her wand lightened up outside the cloak. She tried searching at every book she could get her hands on, but every time she looked for the Philosopher's Stone she would find only information on Nicholas Flamel. Either she would find that or some other powerful dark magic that nobody should ever read about. With head on high, the blunette kept on searching for more information about the stone until her arms started to feel sore from all of the book picking.

"This is endless…" The girl murmured to herself as she picked out another book and opened it to examine its contents. Apparently the book talked about an ancient science called alchemy, which it was based upon the transmutation of metals into gold or silver. She looked at a random page until something caught her eye.

 _The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._

"Wait immortal? The stone gives immortality?!" Runo eye's had widened at the new information found. Suddenly a crash was heard across the room. Too scared to even react, Runo just placed the book back where she had took it from. Another sound came from within the room. The girl dropped the books she was holding and ran towards the exit of the library, as more sounds appeared out of nowhere. She opened the doors of the library with such force that it resonated in the whole castle.

Runo watched as a coupe of professor's were approaching the library, with Madame Sirena on the lead. Not thinking, the girl ran at the opposite direction, hoping that they weren't able to see her. She passed corridors and some stairs trying to get to the Gryffindor common room but she was so hopelessly lost. Runo entered the first room she saw and quickly locked the door behind her.

Panting the girl tried to regain her breath and listen to any other sounds coming from the other side of the door. When nothing else was heard, she released a sigh of relief as she removed the cloak from her head. The blunette looked around the room. It was mostly empty, except for a mirror that was about 8 feet tall.

Runo walked towards the mirror, inspecting it for something unusual to happen. It had golden engraving at the top of it, which said "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". The girl's mind knotted in confusion until she focused her eyes on the mirror. It was as if she had felt a punch in the gut once she recognized whom she was seeing. Two people, a man and a woman, were standing right beside her with heartwarming smiles on their faces. Runo looked beside her but found that no one was standing right next her. Tears were starting to form at the tip off her eyes as she focused on the mirror once again.

They both looked like they were on their twenties or so; the man was way taller than her, with short golden hair and a pair of bright blue eyes staring right at her with a proud smile. The woman had long and wavy blue hair with a pair of brown eyes looking at her with a heart-warming smile. Runo knew they were her parents. There was no doubt about it. The girl touched the surface of the mirror but her parents just waved right back at her, still smiling.

The blunette wanted to enter the mirror and be with them. But that was impossible, since her parents weren't with her anymore. A pain in her chest was forming, half of it was of pure joy to be able to see her parents, but the other half was a terrible sadness. Wiping away the few tears that managed to slip out, the girl backed away from the mirror, grabbed her cloak and left the room. She wanted t confirm if she was actually going mad or not.

* * *

"Just follow me Dan, you have to see it!" Runo exclaimed, tugging at her friend's sleeve. Dan was desperately trying not to move from his spot as the girl kept on pulling on his sweater.

"No Runo! Dammit you're going to ruin my sweater!" The boy said back as he managed to get out of the girl's grip.

"Why are you such thick headed!" The blunette yelled out in frustration, still not giving up. After Runo had returned to the Gryffindor common room, she wasn't able to have a good night's rest thanks to the mirror. Her mind was a mess, on a side she was sure of what she had seen but she feared she was going crazy. The first thing in the morning, the girl pulled the brunette, making them avoid breakfast and insisted him on seeing the mirror. The way towards the room had been rough, with Dan trying to escape Runo's grip and refusing to move, the girl had grown annoyed as well with his childish attitude.

"If you had let me eat breakfast, I would have gladly accompanied you, but no Miss Bossy here wanted to check out a stupid mirror!" Dan yelled back, glowing with anger. Runo just huffed at his argument.

"It's not a stupid mirror! And you already eat too much you don't need breakfast for that!" They kept on screaming at each other unaware of their Slytherin friend standing right beside them.

"BREAKFAST FREAK!"

"BOSSY PANTS!"

"Could you shut up?" Shun just asked calmly, making the other two jump "You are going to give me and the whole school a headache"

"She made me lose breakfast!" Dan pointed at Runo in annoyance as the girl only shot him a glare. The Slytherin only looked at his best friend and sighed. He then took something out of his robes and gave it to him. It was a red apple. The brunette quickly took it and stuffed it in his mouth with delight.

"You're disgusting" The blunette commented but the boy only stuck out his tongue as she did the same.

"What is this mirror Dan was shouting about?" Shun turned to the girl with a bored expression.

"Well I found it yesterday, and I wanted a confirmation that I was not going mad" Runo crossed her arms over her chest. She kept on walking in the direction of the room she had found out just the night before, as her friends kept following behind her. The girl stopped in front of the room, looked both ways of the hall, and opened the door. The two boys entered the room with her, and she quickly shut the door after them.

The mirror was the same as it had been yesterday. Nothing had been removed or placed in it. Runo took in a deep breath as she nervously approached the reflection on the mirror. Her parents appeared once again, waving and smiling back at her. She turned to her friends and saw different emotions flashing past them. Dan ran to her side with awe and delight, but Shun looked shocked.

"Wow Runo, you were right this mirror is amazing!" The brunette pressed his hands on the surface of the mirror as he kept on gawking at the reflection. Runo frowned, that was not an expression she had been waiting for.

"What are you seeing Dan?" The blunette looked back at the mirror, but her parents were still there with a smile.

"Well I see myself playing in the team of Quidditch, I am a Beater and we have just won the Quidditch Cup because of me!" Dan exclaimed happily and the girl only grew more confused at what he was seeing.

"We should leave this place" Shun commented. He still looked dumbstruck, his fists clenching at his sides. Runo was about to say something, but the raven haired boy only took her and Dan's hand and led them outside. The brunette protested against his friend but Runo looked back at the mirror, her parents still there as they got out of the room. Shun slammed the door closed. The blunnete only looked back at Dan, but he seemed in surprise too; seeing Shun so agitated wasn't common for any of them.

"Don't ever go into that room again, understood?" Shun said in a menacing tone of voice. Runo's frowned even more after the question. Dan was giving his friend a look of surprise as well, but didn't comment on it.

"What's so wrong about that mirror?" The girl only questioned but the Slytherin shot her a look that made her question no more. His glare sent chills down Runo's spine, that she only shut her mouth. Shun didn't say anything else as he walked away in the opposite direction. Dan gave the girl an apologetic look as he hurried after his friend, trying to make him talk.

The blunette stood there a couple of more seconds, quite shocked and annoyed. Shun was not going to be bossing her around. 'What the mirror showed him must have altered him' Her mind thought. Runo turned and walked towards the common room, determined to look at the mirror once again during the night. She was sure Shun would go as well, if he wanted to investigate much further. After all she wasn't going to let him stop her from seeing her parents.

* * *

True to her suspicions. The Slytherin entered the room around midnight. He locked the door and went towards the mirror straight away.

Runo was sitting down at the far end of the wall, with her Invisible Cloak on as she watched the boy stop in front of the mirror. After Dan had returned from his talk with Shun, she grew even more suspicious and furious. They were stopping her from seeing her parents again. The brunette had warned her to never go back in that room again. He didn't trust what the mirror was showing her or Shun and that had led them to another fight between them, which ended in each of them locking themselves in their dormitories. Before midnight the girl used her cloak and had been able to sneak past Dan with it. The rest it was a piece of cake, none of the teachers were making rounds around the room.

He looked surprised and quite irritated at whatever the mirror was showing him. Then he sat down and kept on staring. The silence stretched on for an hour or so. The blunette was still seeing her parents on the surface, with a proud smile on their lips and Shun kept on staring at the reflection.

"I know someone's in here besides me" Shun said out loud. Runo's heart jumped a little bit, and from the shock she knocked over a couple of boxes that were resting beside her. The girl sucked in a deep breath as her friend only turned in her direction with a glare. "I now know you're there"

Runo considered leaving the room, but even though he had been able to see through her cloak. She bit her lower lip, still not moving nor removing her cloak. In a matter of seconds a gush of wind passed next to her and suddenly Shun was standing right in front of her. A little yelp escaped her throat as she noticed that now her cloak had been removed and Shun was holding it up on his hands.

"How did you do that?" The blunette felt embarrassed now. She stood up from her spot as the Slytherin only handed her back her cloak.

"I didn't know you had one of those with you" Shun said with disinterest on his voice. He turned and sat down once again in front of the mirror. Annoyance washed over her; Shun didn't even answered her question and she was sure that he would definitely not tell her what he was seeing. Letting out a sigh, the girl walked over to his side and sat down next to him.

The silence stretched between them for some minutes, both of the students looking at different things in the mirror. It felt really peaceful, Runo thought. After all of the commotion throughout the year, she hadn't really considered how much her life was being consumed by the magical world. Right now, watching her parents she might have felt completely normal, if it wasn't for a fact that what she was seeing was a lie.

"I don't know if we are seeing the same things" Runo said out loud and Shun kept on staring at the mirror "but I feel really peaceful seeing them after I found out about the mirror" The girl brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "I know both you and Dan had warned me never to come back here" she started saying "but this is the only way I can see them"

"Your parents I assume" Shun kept his calm expression and the girl solemnly nodded. Another silence passed between them until the raven haired boy exhaled deeply "I see something similar in it" He didn't look back at Runo, his eyes glued to the mirror "I see my mother and father with a smile, but a figure stands behind them, with striking blue eyes" Runo looked back at him and noticed that he was having a hard time getting the words out of his mouth. "It looks like he wants to hurt them"

"Are your parents not with you anymore?" The blunette's mouth moved before she could even think. Regretting the question immediately she cursed out loud "I'm sorry I didn't think the question through-" The boy only smiled a little bit and made her stop from her blabbering.

"They were murdered when I was about a year old or so" He shrugged at turned to the mirror once again "So seeing them in here, it gave me quite the shock"

"You're not the only one" Runo said with a little smile "It was just about two nights that I found this thing, I almost fainted when I saw them here" She chuckled and then gave the mirror a sad look "If it wasn't for this, I wouldn't have remembered how they looked"

"My grandfather keeps pictures of my father and mother, back when they had recently married, but it seeing them here it feels different from a picture" Shun explained "After Dan talked to me and I told him what I had seen, he warned me to never come back here"

"Same here" Runo nodded remembering her brunette friend scolding her and threatening with anything he could think of. "He said he didn't trust what the mirror was showing"

"Surprisingly I agree with him" The Slytherin quietly added "It showed the three of us different things, besides what we are seeing doesn't exist" The girl only turned to look at her parents with dread. They were dead. They weren't coming back.

"Very wise words Mr. Kazami" A voice said behind them. They quickly turned and found themselves face to face with the Headmistress herself. Ophal Wyvern looked as flawless as ever Runo noted, the woman had a sad smile on her lips as the students stood up. The Headmistress didn't look angry or even disappoint, it was more like an immense sadness watching them look at the mirror. "Do you know what this mirror shows you?" She whispered to them.

"It shows us what we want to see" Shun answered and looked back at the mirror once again. Wyvern did as well, a sad smile still on her lips.

"Almost there but not quite Mr. Kazami" Professor Wyvern moved closer to the mirror and turned towards her students "This mirror shows the most desperate desire of a person's heart, a vision that has been known to drive men mad. It is called the Mirror of Erised" The Headmistress said thoughtfully and Runo was now able to understand why her friends would see different things.

"Now both of you listen to me" The professor knelt down in front of them "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. That's why tomorrow I'll have it removed from here"

"But professor-" Runo wanted to interfere with it, but Shun stopped her before she said anything else.

"Miss Misaki, I am truly sorry for this, but I can't afford to watch you suffer like this" Wyvern said in an earnest tone of voice "I know you want to keep seeing the reflection on the mirror, but I don't want you to convince yourself of something that is just a mere reflection" Runo felt a knot on her throat but she nodded anyway. Shun was silent throughout the whole conversation. The Headmistress looked like she wanted to keep on saying more, but didn't. She stood up and led both of the students out of the room and guided them to their respective common rooms.

After Runo was left at the common room, she just slumped over into the couch in front of the fireplace and dozed off into sleep hoping that in her dreams she might still have the vivid memory of her parents smiling at her.

Days passed and Runo and Shun agreed to keep the meeting with the Headmistress a secret from Dan, otherwise they would get scolded for disobeying him as well as avoid talking about what had happened. True to her words, Wyvern removed the Mirror of Erised from its place and Runo never saw it again. She thought that it was for the best after all Professor Wyvern was right Runo was only seeing a lie on the mirror.

The trio kept on investigating at the library for the Philosopher Stone or the Elixir of Life, trying to stay away from Madame Sirena. Before they even noticed, the Christmas vacations were over and all of the other students were now returning from their homes to continue with their classes.

* * *

 **THANK GOD I CAN FINALLY UPLOAD. Seriously I've been trying to upload this chapter for ages and just recently fanfiction was down and ugh I just stressed out. I'm sorry for the late upload since I promised I would do it like a week ago or so, but with school and stuff I've been quite busy. Back to the chapter, in this story Shun's parents were also murdered but some months before Runo's parents were also killed. And as for the blue eyes, it will make more sense in the future. Dan is also the sweetest guy there is in this AU.**

 **As for the next chapter, exams are coming up so I don't think I will be able to upload any time soon but worry not I already finished it, so it is only a matter of time before I revise it, so stay tuned for that. I hope you like this chapter and are liking the story so far, if you have any comment, please leave a review to let me know. Have a great week everyone!**


	4. First Year: The Forbidden Forest

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **First Year**

 **\- The Forbidden Forest**

"And that's pretty much it on what we found about the stone" Runo finished with a sigh as she plopped down on her chair. The classes at Hogwarts had returned and with them all of the students who had went away during Christmas break. The chattering of students could be heard in most of the corridors and even more at the Great Hall. But being stuck in the library was not as pleasant to Runo.

Alice Gehabic had demanded her to meet at the library during lunch break, to share her discoveries with her about the Philosopher's Stone. Dan was currently sitting beside her, drooling while he slept on top of a stack of books. Alice was searching all around the library looking for more books, as Runo explained what she had found about the whole topic. Julie had also joined them, processing all of the information that they had told her and trying not to get confused.

"Wait guys hold up a minute" Julie looked as if she was about to explode, she held up a finger in the air "You mean that there is a stone in this castle that could grant immortality, and you are okay with that?!" Runo and Alice just nodded as the silver haired girl threw her hand up in the air exasperated.

"Well we are in a magic school so I don't see why not" Alice said in their defense "I knew the name sounded familiar" She muttered to herself as she came back to their table and dropped of 5 more books. She picked one up and quickly skimmed over the pages "Nicholas Flamel is actually an old friend of my grandfather, and as impossible as it may sound, but yes he and his wife are about five thousand years old" The redhead dropped off the book and picked up another one, repeating the same process. "Then the Philosopher's Stone grants immortality to whoever holds it, the question is why would they hide it here?"

"Maybe because the school staff thinks its safer in here than in another place?" Runo doubted that was the case, but she couldn't think of a place safer than the castle or Gringotts. Julie just relaxed back into her chair, looking around the room, as to calm herself with all of what she was learning.

"It could be" Alice muttered but shook her head "So then who is the one seeking immortality? Why would they need that? Maybe even they were the ones releasing the troll inside the school…"

"I don't really think the events are connected" Runo really couldn't see someone releasing a troll inside the school for just a stone "It could be that they want it since they have little time left living" The blunette lazily picked up a book from the table and started reading it, not paying much attention to its contents. "As for who is looking for it, I really have no idea, maybe an old man or something"

"The only one I know it's my grandfather" The Ravenclaw made a scowl on her face and threw away another book "But he's not that stupid to try to steal it, he could just ask his friend for one"

"Or maybe the stone has another properties we don't even know about, who knows?" Runo yawned loudly as she slumped in her chair even more. Dan was not even stirring at their conversation he kept sleeping like a baby. Julie seemed to notice this as well and with a mischievous smile, she took out a marker from her bag.

"I highly doubt it" Alice was still looking away, just as Julie started drawing a mustache over Dan's lips and a couple of hearts along it. Runo was going to stop her but once she saw the doodles on her friend's face, she couldn't help but cover up her smile "Grandfather didn't tell me anything about the stone during the trip, but this week I have seen him and Professor Glenn entering a room in the third floor corridor" The girl kept on looking at the book in her hand, deep in thought "And I bet there's were they are keeping it" Alice turned and almost shrieked "Julie! Stop doodling on Dan's face!"

Dan Kuso woke up at the shouting and almost fell off his chair. Julie quickly pulled away, hiding the marker from his vision. She bit on her lip just as her brunette friend was looking around quite lost. Runo as well, covering up her mouth and trying to look serious enough but was failing at doing it so.

"What did I miss?" The boy said, still sleepy from his nap. The blunette looked over to Alice, and found that she as well was trying to compose herself, but giggles would escape her mouth once in a while.

"Oh nothing much" Runo stifled in her laughter, trying to look as serious as possible "Alice and I were just discussing about some corridor in the third floor"

"We have to find a way to get in there" The redhead smiled, letting out another fit of giggles but still trying to look serious in her own way.

"Then we'll use my Invisibility Cloak tonight to get in there!" The blunette said as Dan just nodded. The blunette turned to look at him one more time, and burst out laughing at the mess of his face. Alice did as well, and Dan was left confused just as the two of the girls would keep on laughing.

"Oh Danny boy who would've thought you could grow such a fine moustache!" Julie exclaimed, laughing as well. The brunette only frowned deeper until he noticed the marker on the Hufflepuff's hand.

"You are dead to me Makimoto!" Dan stood from his chair quite abruptly, making the chair fall back. Julie leapt of hers as well, just in time to escape the boys grip. Laughing the silver haired girl, continued to run through the halls just as the brunette followed behind her, screaming all types of curses at her. Runo and Alice were still laughing at their table just occasionally watching their friends pass by, still chasing each other, before Madame Sirena kicked them out.

* * *

"Are you ready now everyone?" The blunette whispered to her group of friends and they just nodded. They had accorded with Alice and Julie to meet at the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room around midnight to go check the third floor corridor. Runo breathed in and out as she took out the Invisibility Cloak and draped it on top of her group of friends. Instantly they became invisible and they huddled together, with only a little peeks of the feet moving through the halls.

"Up to the stairs" Alice said behind Dan. The redhead had memorized the way to get to the room as the other three followed her instructions. Everyone stopped abruptly, Julie crashing to Runo's back and Dan almost tripping. The group did as told, and moved foot after foot, climbing up the main set of stairs in the castle.

"Julie! Be more careful next time!" Runo whispered in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Geez Runo, it's difficult seeing here" Julie huffed in annoyance and tried not to trip with the cloak. Alice told them to turn right once they finished and they followed the direction. The group kept walking in silence and stopped right in front of the room they were trying to enter. The blunette removed the cloak from everyone, folded it and tucked it inside her uniform. The group breathed in and out, still not moving from their spot.

"Let's go" Alice said and moved towards the door. She turned the doorknob but it wouldn't budge. The Ravenclaw took out her wand and tipped the doorknob with it "Alohomora" The knob turned and clicked. The red head opened the door and motioned her friends to go inside of the room. Everyone went inside and quietly closed the door. Everything was pitch black and just a little window let in the moonlight. Nothing looked out of place and the group moved, investigating the room.

"Well it doesn't look like they are hiding something in this room" Runo said out loud as she kept on moving in the room. Dan nodded in agreement, eyeing the walls in a suspicious manner. Alice was looking at the floor, finding some scratches here and there, and even some floor tiles cracked.

"There's something strange here" The brunette announced "There are marks all over the wall in here, big ones. As if something is trying to get out"

"Same here" Alice commented in a low voice "There are scratches all over the floor, even some of the tiles here are broken" The blunette moved closer to her friend and noticed the same thing. She bent down and touched one of the cracked tiles, a frown adorning her face.

"Well I don't see anything unusual in here guys" Julie exclaimed as she moved right at the center of the room "This room was probably used a long time ago for battles or something" A breath made way over Julie's neck, making her yelp quite loudly "Dan stop doing that! You're scaring me!"

"I'm not doing anything" The boy said back "Julie I'm near the door"

"Then whoever is doing that stop it!" The silver haired girl crossed her arms in front of her with a pout.

"What are you talking about Julie?" Runo stood up and tried to spot her friend from where she was standing "We are across from you"

"Then who is breathing behind my back?!" The Hufflepuff said a little louder and then everything went quiet. Something was definitely not right, Runo thought as no one else moved. The mood in the room changed quickly as the group grew more worried about what was really happening inside of it. The blunette lift up her wand and whispered " _Lumos_ " as the wand instantly lit up, she had the answer to their question.

"Julie don't freak out" The Gryffindor whispered to her friend. She could feel Alice and Dan grew tense after seeing what was lying behind Julie "Just move away from there, okay? Do it slowly"

"What is it?" The girl said in a little squeak. She was shaking from head to toe, but she was able to move one foot in front of the other, not daring to look behind her. Then Julie stepped over a cracked tile and caused it to crack even more and a loud crash was heard on a lower level. The girl stopped and Runo had to keep calm as the beast behind her friend started to wake up.

"We have to go now" Alice whispered next to her and she only nodded. With her hand she ordered Julie to walk even faster as the monster was now opening up his eyes. The blunette's jaw dropped as she noticed the whole figure in front of them. It looked like a dog had grown a gigantic size, and had grown two other heads in the process. The three-headed dog opened his eyes and immediately howled in frustration, the light in Runo's wand hurting its eyes. Julie turned and screamed once she saw the beast behind her. The girl was about to trip but Dan quickly took her hand and they ran for the door. Alice took hold of Runo's hand as they both made their way to the door as well. The dog then stood up and charged towards them. The students rushed out the room, and pushed the door just as one of the dog's head collided with the wooden door. The four of them kept on pushing the door to a close as the head would only push back. Before anyone could notice, Dan poked one of the beast's eye and the beast whimpered, giving them the chance to close the door and lock it.

Everyone fell to the floor as they tried to regain their breaths. Runo was still shocked at the appearance of such an animal inside the castle, but she was glad to have gotten out of there with her friends safe.

"Well that was productive" Dan muttered "Looks like Hogwarts has it's own pet" The blunette couldn't help to smile at the comment. Julie looked as if she had seen her life flash before her eyes. Suddenly she threw herself onto Dan's arms.

"You saved my life!" She started squealing. The brunette looked kind of oblivious to the sudden embrace by the silver haired girl, but Runo growled in annoyance, her mood changing completely. The girl stood up and turned to her right, immediately spotting someone hiding behind one of the columns. The blunette ran towards the other person, but he dashed way from her grip, making her loose her footing and trip. A mop of known blond hair appeared in her vision as she managed to see the boy running to the other direction. Before he could get away, Runo noticed Dan running straight at the boy and colliding with him, both of them tumbling down the main set of stairs.

"Dan!" The girl exclaimed, quickly standing up and running after her brunette friend, Alice and Julie running behind her. She got to the stairs just in time to see Hydron Prince lying at the bottom of them while Dan was sitting next to him. The girls quickened their pace and met up with them, and didn't notice a shadow pass next to them.

"Are you alright?" Runo asked Dan with concern.

"Yeah I'm fine. This brat was apparently spying on us, but I managed to catch up with him. The only thing is that he fell unconscious" The brunette scratched his head in a nervous manner. Alice knelt down to check on Hydron Prince, just as they got caught.

"What are you five doing out of bed?!" A voice roared that made everyone stop what they were doing. A professor approached them and Runo recognized him as Professor Hydranoid. He was towering over all of them with a menacing glare, that no one managed to find their voice. The professor growled out in annoyance "I'm going to take you to the Deputy Headmaster" Everyone only nodded as they followed the professor towards the office of Professor Drago. Dan was upfront, stuck with carrying Hydron as the girls only glanced back at each other. Runo felt as if they had gotten to an agreement; they would deny ever being in the third floor's corridor and keep that information to themselves. And as for Hydron they would hope he stayed asleep during the whole meeting or not remembering seeing them there at all.

* * *

To their little luck, Hydron had woken up during the meeting with Professor Drago, but he didn't remember anything aside from tumbling down the stairs. Nonetheless the Deputy Headmaster gave everyone a night of detention and reduced 50 points of their respective house to each one. He instructed them that in three days they will be serving their detention around 11 o'clock and that he wished for them to keep out of trouble.

Runo Misaki thought that it was going to be a worse scolding than that. Sure she felt bad for the loss of 100 points for the House of Gryffindor thanks to Dan and her, but serving only one night of detention didn't seem that bad. The three days that Professor Drago had told them about passed and the group of students were making their way towards the office of the Professor Against the Dark Arts. Hydron Prince had been complaining the whole way of being stuck with them and how his father was going to know about the situation. The blunette was tempted to shove a sock in his mouth to stop the blabbering. She and Dan only sent looks of irritation at each other, both of them thinking how to shut Prince up. Julie and Alice were mostly silent they were still remorseful about the reduced 50 points of their house.

The group got to the office of the Head of Gryffindor but another person was standing before them. He was a tall and muscular man, with deep green eyes and a long wavy blond hair, tied up in a neat ponytail and some braids failing out of it. He was wearing a brown coat over a green shirt and a vest, dark brown pants and a pair of black boots over them. As well a huge black belt that dangled from his hips, containing many flasks and some knives here and there.

"Hello children, my name is Ingram Ventus and I am the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts and Professor in Care of Magical Creatures" He said in a soft voice and with a serious looking face "You will serve your night of detention with me, so would you please follow me" The Professor moved and the students without questioning him followed behind him. Hydron looked like he was going to keep arguing but he held his mouth shut with a glare sent from Ingram.

They left the Hogwarts castle and headed towards a little cottage out in the woods. It stood right in front of the Forbidden Forest and it looked like it had been built around 30 years ago. The students followed behind Ingram as he got to the cottage and pulled out three candleholders and lit up the tip. He gave one to Alice, another to Dan and the last one to Julie.

"Well to serve your detention of tonight, we will do some investigating" He said in a calm voice and he drew out his hand. It had some sort of purple glittering thing all around his fingers and Runo only cringed at the sight.

"It's unicorn blood isn't it?" Alice immediately questioned. The professor gave her a small smile and nodded at her.

"We are going to find the unicorn that has been hurt. For some time now I have seen many of this blood spilled in the forest, and I'll like to find out why" Ingram only sighed and then turned to them "Miss Misaki you go with Mr. Kuso, Mr. Hydron go with Miss Makimoto and you Miss Gehabic will come with me" The professor moved towards the entrance of the forest and everyone waited beside him. Runo and Dan exchanged a look of worry but tried to stay as calm as possible. Julie was out of her mind and even though Hydron would never admit it, he was scared as well. Alice was the most calm out of everyone after all she was going with the professor.

"If something happens inside the forest, I want you to cast red flames out of your wands, alright" He told them how to do the spell and added with seriousness in his face "If you, in any way, harm something or someone in this forest just for your enjoyment" at that statement he sent a glare towards the blonde Slytherin "Be certain that you will not have it easy" And with that the pairs moved inside of the forest.

Dan and Runo moved with silence, as the brunette held the candleholder and the girl with her wand out. The groups dispersed inside the forest, each of the pairs walking further in it. The blunette had to admit that she was glad she had been paired up with Dan. With Alice it would have been fine as well, but Hydron and Julie would only get on her nerves. Dan moved with a steady pace as Runo followed behind him quietly. Nothing out of the ordinary crossed their paths, only many trees and a couple of vines hanging from them. Foxes and owls would be seen running around trying to look for a prey but nothing else. The unicorn that had been hurt wasn't in sight as well.

Runo was biting on her lower lip when she bumped on Dan's back. The pair managed not to fall down on the ground, as the brunette took hold of her lower arm and the girl held on his shoulder.

"Thanks" Runo breathed out as the boy only nodded back at her. She could feel how stiff Dan was as well. She had to say that having detention inside the Forbidden Forest would not happen again. As she was about to say something red flames appeared not too far from them. Recognizing the signal, the two of them took off in a run towards the place where the flames were still lit up. They avoided colliding with trees and vines, and the blunette could recognize the sound of a familiar whimpering.

"Julie!" Runo screamed out as they got in front of the pair. The silver haired girl was kneeling on the ground, some tears spilling out of her eyes, her wand flaring red while their candleholder was out. Hydron on the other hand was laughing at her, and Runo could only think the worst. Before she could even move, Dan had already punched the blond in the nose. Hydron fell down with a yell as the brunette knelt down and helped Julie stand up. The blunette moved over to the Hufflepuff and tried to calm her down, just as Professor Ingram and Alice got to them.

"What happened here?" The Professor questioned in a strict tone of voice. He took one glance at the fallen Slytherin and then at Julie and seemed to connect the events. "Miss Makimoto could you please tell me what happened?"

"Me and Hydron we were checking out this side of the forest" Julie started saying between sniffs, rubbing her eyes "But then I started hearing noises everywhere we went" she was gripping to Runo's hand as she continued "And then I felt something crawling up my back and I released the red sparks"

"I understand" Ingram said deep in thought and then turned to the blond "Did you have something to do with it Mr. Hydron?" The Slytherin's face went blank as he tried to stand up and give out a reasonable excuse that would include not framing him. Runo only scowled at the boy, it was quite clear that he was behind Julie's trembling.

"Well then Mr. Kuso I'm afraid you will have to switch partners, go with Miss Makimoto and Miss Misaki you will be paired with Mr. Hydron, since it looks like the two boys would be fighting too much" The Professor said in a final tone of voice. Dan only looked at the blunette with guilty eyes but she shook her head. Runo preferred going with Hydron if it meant that Julie would be safe. The blunette approached the Slytherin with a glare and took hold of the candleholder and lit it up. She took a glimpse at Dan and Julie, and she could notice the brunette holding on to her hand. She quickly turned around trying to calm that nagging feeling inside of her and Hydron was now standing with her, a similar scowl on his face.

"Well then, let's head out once again" Professor Ingram announced, and once again the pairs went on their way throughout the forest. Runo and Hydron were both quiet during the walking and the girl could only be thankful for that. The forest seemed to grow thicker and darker with each step they took; there was still no sign of the wounded unicorn but something in Runo's gut was telling her to leave the place. Hydron looked more nervous as well, as he stood closer to the blunette. Both of the wizards with wands out and hoping nothing would come their way.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't seen me" Hydron grumbled in annoyance and Runo's eyes shot him an icy glare.

"If I remember correctly you were the one spying" The blunette saw a weird kind of fog starting to surround them, but she kept it to herself.

"I could get you expelled Misaki" His mouth twitched up in a smirk "I still haven't forgotten the punch you gave me and my father was not pleased with that" Runo completely turned around to face him, scowl still on her lips.

"I do not care who you are or who your father is" The girl started saying "But if you bully me or one of my friends again, believe I won't hesitate to hex you" She warned him. The boy only gulped down and tried to back away from the girl as he collided with a tree trunk.

Suddenly Runo heard a deep growl behind her. The look on Hydron's face confirmed that it was not a pleasant thing. Quickly the Gryffindor turned around and she could feel her stomach doing summersaults and her heartbeat speeding up. Right before her eyes, the wounded unicorn was lying down, a lot of his blood spilling out of his neck, as a caped creature knelt beside him, drinking the liquid. The girl directed her wand towards it but before she could do something Hydron released a scream from his mouth. The creature immediately turned and noticed the students. Runo was about to turn and run, but a tree root had caught her foot and she tripped and fell to the ground. Hydron not caring for the blunette, took off in a run, leaving the girl to her own luck.

The Gryffindor tried to stand up but the tree root was still around her foot. With trembling hands the girl turned and tried to free it but it wasn't effective. The creature slowly approached her and she grew more anxious by the second. She held out her wand in front of her, trying to come up with a useful spell for the situation but nothing came to mind. Then a shooting pain came from her left arm, and Runo released a scream. She could feel her scar burning up in her skin. The creature was now, a mere centimeters away from her face, and she noticed the unicorn blood all over his cape. In a flash another figure collided with the caped creature, standing protectively in front of the girl. It fled in an instant and Runo could only hope that the other figure was friendly.

"Do not fear Runo Misaki, for I will not harm you" The other figure said and turned to her. Runo recognized the mythological creature immediately; it was a centaur standing right before her eyes. He had a long mane of dark hair all over his body but a little smile adorned his face.

"Thank you" The girl could only whisper out as she released a shuddering breath. The centaur then stomped on the tree root, making it crumble away and releasing her foot from it. Runo managed to stand up and looked over at the spot where the other creature was. The pain on her scar left immediately but the girl still felt drained from the whole situation. The unicorn was still lying down with blood coming out his neck, but still breathing.

"He'll live, do not worry" The centaur said in a soothing voice and turned to her "But whoever did this to him would suffer"

"Do you know who did it?" Runo asked timidly and saw how the expression on the centaur changed to a much darker one.

"It is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn. Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price" The centaur explained as the fog seemed to disperse around them "But I do have a vague idea on who might do such a thing" He turned to her and gave her a pointed look, but Runo's face grew in confusion.

"I shall take you to the exit of the Forbidden Forest, for this is not a place for young students to wander into" He knelt down and the blunette was hesitant for a second to climb him "I am sorry I did not present myself, my name is Manion and I belong to the colony of centaurs inside the Forbidden Forest"

"Well I'm Runo Misaki, but you already knew that" she said with sheepish smile, and carefully climbed on top of the centaur. He rose and walked straight ahead, in direction of the exit the girl hoped.

"Your name is famous all around these parts Runo Misaki, you should not be that surprised of it" Manion said with a serious tone of voice, starting to look around in between the trees.

"Is something wrong?" Runo inched closer to the centaur but he remained quiet, still looking all around their surroundings as he kept walking.

"My fellow colony is enraged that I have saved you" He explained in a low tone of voice "As well as the fact that you are riding on my back" Runo felt embarrassed in an instant but said nothing back. As if feeling her embarrassment the centaur added "Do not worry about such petty things Runo Misaki, for you have a long and dark journey ahead of you"

Runo could start seeing the trees growing thinner and more dispersed, until finally they disappeared out of sight and the girl could see the Hogwarts castle and Ingram's hut. The night was still full of stars but the blunette felt a wave of relief all over her body. The centaur knelt down and Runo climbed off of him.

"Thank you for all of what you did for me back there" The Gryffindor bowed in front of him and rose once again with a little smile.

"This is where I leave you. You are safe now. Good luck, Runo Misaki. We will meet again someday." And with that the centaur turned around and ran back inside the Forbidden Forest. Runo stood there for a moment before she sat back down on the grass. So much had happened in the past few nights, that she couldn't help but feel as if they were all connected somehow. Her mind was trying to come up with answers as to who would be doing such things and for what cause. Her thoughts were stopped as she heard her name being called. Looking up she noticed Julie and Dan running up to her with a smile on their faces, as Alice, Professor Ingram and Hydron were walking far behind. With a smile the girl stood up and ran to meet her friends.

* * *

 **The whole week I have procrastinated in uploading the new chapter, but today I finally did it! I was revising the chapter once again and I found myself not liking it that much, so I tried to change some things, but oh well I hope you do like it. The next chapter is really good, (not to brag or anything but I really liked the next chapter, and if you read the HP books, you might know what happens next) so head's up for that. Also another thing, if you haven't noticed, Hydron is basically the Draco Malfoy for this AU, but Draco in my head was better than this dude.**

 **Anyways stay tuned for the next chapters, since we'll be finishing the First Year pretty soon and then the Second Year comes around and much more serious stuff will happen, or well I'll try to make it happen. Hope you liked the chapter and if you are liking the story so far or if you have a comment leave a review! Have a great week!**


	5. First Year: Through The Seven Chambers

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **First Year**

 **\- Through the Seven Chambers**

Some days had passed since Runo served her detention in the Forbidden Forest. She was still quite shaken up by the mysterious hooded figure but tried not to think too much about it. She had told her friends all about the encounter as well as what Manion had told her during that night and all of them came to the conclusion. Someone was definitely trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Runo would never admit it out loud but she felt certain that the one behind it was Professor Gehabic. Not because he looked older than most teachers, but he had started to act weird during most of his Potions classes. Alice had been reassuring them that it was because of stress and anxiety, but even the redhead didn't sound so convinced.

The blunette kept this to herself and tried to find an explanation to all the situation. Alice was right in one point, if Michael Gehabic indeed wanted the Philosopher's Stone he could ask Nicholas Flamel for one, considering they were still friends. But if that was not the case, why would he be in need for one?

The girl grumbled in annoyance as her head collided with the wooden desk in front of her. It made a loud noise, making most of the class turn to her in surprise and Professor Drago shooting her a disapproving look. Runo whispered an apology as the rest of the class went back to their practices.

"If you are still thinking about the Philosopher's Stone, I recommend you not making a scene in class" Dan said in a low tone of voice, trying to pay attention.

"It just doesn't make any sense to me" Runo huffed in annoyance as she sat up on her chair. She watched as the classroom listened to Professor Drago explaining ghosts and gargoyles. Usually their classes for Defense Against the Dark Arts included much more practicing than theory but Drago had been explaining these creatures for some time now. The blunette frowned in confusion, if she recalled correctly most of their classes for today had been focusing on the theory and teachers had been standing at every corridor when they left their classrooms. She concentrated on how Professor Drago was teaching and noticed how his eyes were moving all over the place.

"Something's happening" The blunette whispered as the class ended. Dan sent her a confused look but before he could ask, Runo took hold of his lower arm and dragged him out of the classroom. The brunette yelped in surprise as he was dragged through crowds of people.

"Runo, slow down!" The Gryffindor exclaimed as the girl ran outside of the castle and headed in the direction towards the Black Lake. Runo kept on tugging Dan's arm as he tried not to fall down on the ground. The girl could make out the figures of both Julie and Alice, sitting near an oak tree that was planted near the edge of the lake.

"Alice!" The girl shouted at her friend, making the redhead snap out her concentration. Julie waved enthusiastically as she saw Runo approaching with Dan. Both of the Gryffindors got to them, panting relentlessly as the brunette fell down on the grass, trying to catch his breath.

"Is something the matter Runo?" Alice asked curiously as she placed down her Charms book.

"Something's up" The blunette manage to said in between breaths "The teachers are acting weirdly today and I don't know why" as the girl tried to get the words out her mouth she noticed everyone's eyes widen and looking at each other.

"I figured " Alice muttered under her breath and motioned for everyone to draw in closer. Everyone leaned in as the redhead whispered to them "I think that someone will try to steal the Philosopher's Stone, that's why the teachers are acting like that and I bet that the stone is in the third floor corridor" The redhead was massaging her temples as she continued "I heard from my grandfather that from this week on the classes were ending earlier and the students sent to bed earlier as well"

"Then we'll have to steal it first" Dan said with a new resolve in his voice. Runo looked up at him in surprise. The boy had a determined look on his eyes that made the blunette feel confident and at ease about the whole situation.

"I'm with Dan" Runo said with a smile. The boy looked at her and gave her a toothy grin and the girl's smile grew even more.

"I'll go wherever you guys go" Julie crossed her arms in front of her chest and smiled proudly "After all someone has to keep you safe" and winked right at Dan. Runo felt the urge to interfere in the space between Dan and Julie but said nothing.

"You guys sure come up with dangerous plans" Alice laughed nervously "If we get caught we could get expelled"

"But we'll prevent some maniac trying to become immortal" The brunette stated in a serious tone. Everyone in the group grew silent after that. Runo hadn't thought about the consequences if they really do manage to get the stone but she agreed with Dan, they would prevent a catastrophe from happening in the school. She would do anything in her power to protect her home.

"Then I'm in" The Ravenclaw smiled "We'll do it tonight, the faster the better" Everyone nodded in agreement and decided to take the same course of action when they had visited the third floor corridor. They would meet up at the Gryffindor Tower and they would use Runo's Invisibility Cloak once again to get in the room. From there on, they would have to think on how to distract the three-headed dog, and get inside the trapdoor.

The free period ended and the group split up to go to their respective classes. Runo and Dan kept on quietly discussing the plan and didn't pay much attention to the class itself, but they did notice that the rest of the teachers looked more alert then before. The blunette couldn't help but feel nervous as she started scratching her scar over her uniform. Something felt wrong about the whole thing, but she kept quiet about it and waited for the night.

* * *

"Are you guys ready?" Runo whispered as the rest of the ground responded with a 'yes'. She quickly removed the cloak of their heads as she hid it under her robes. It was around midnight at Hogwarts and the group as decided earlier on the day, where standing right in front of the room of the third floor corridor. With shuddering breaths everyone got out their wands and prepared themselves for what was about to come.

Dan was the first to move, he unlocked the door with ' _Alohomora_ ' and entered the room first. Runo was soon behind him as Julie and Alice followed behind, the Hufflepuff shaking from head to toe. The redhead closed the door behind her, as the group moved closer inside the room. It looked as it had been before, still engulfed with darkness, spider webs clinging from the sides and dust all over the floor. The four students moved towards the center of the room as a constant breathing was now being heard. Softly they could also hear music notes being played.

Runo's face grew in confusion, as she now was able to make out the form of the three head dog. It looked like it was sleeping and with the soothing music it was now reasonable. She made her way around the dog and now could see the whole picture. A golden harp was being strung as it was levitating in the air, while the dog was sleeping soundly, the trapdoor near its paws open.

"Someone's already in there" Dan announced as he made his way towards it. Alice was standing near Julie, both of them keeping their distance from the dog. Runo approached the door along with the brunette boy and leaned in, trying to make out something. Nothing but darkness could be seen beyond the trapdoor.

"Should we go in?" Runo whispered the question and suddenly the music stopped playing. Then a loud growl was heard. The blunette was only able to catch glimpses at what was happening. The three-headed dog had woken up and was making their way towards them fast. Alice and Julie were in an instant next to them jumping inside the trapdoor, as Runo pushed Dan inside and then jumping in. The trapdoor closed and darkness surrounded them. The blunette could feel they were falling but she couldn't make out anything inside the place. Then she felt her body collide with something soft and bouncy and suddenly a ball of light appeared.

Runo looked around her; Dan was lying by her side, trying to stand up but failing, Julie was looking all around with awe in her face while Alice held up her wand on high, producing the light in the room. The whole room was full of greenish tentacles that surrounded the whole place. Before any of them moved, the tentacles started to tie around their bodies, constricting them and preventing anyone form moving on further.

"What's happening?!" Dan was the first one to shout, as he started struggling around, trying to break free from the tentacles around his neck, but they only started to press on harder. Runo was about to ask the same until a tentacle prevented her from doing so.

"Guys calm down" Julie reassured everyone with a soothing voice. The blunette looked over at her and saw that in fact the Hufflepuff was calm; Runo thought she would be the first one to freak out. "If you don't struggle with it or move around to much, the plant will let you go" Runo saw how Alice was not covered in any of the tentacles, and in an instant she saw her friend being pulled downwards until she disappeared. The Gryffindor tried calling out her name but the tentacle started to tie around her even tighter.

"Just relax guys" Julie's voice said before she was pulled downwards as well and they could see her no more. Dan tried to move around but only more tentacles would wrap around him. He tried taking out his wand but moving around was going to be a difficult task. Runo tried to make eye contact with him, but with his squirming she couldn't even make out his face. A tentacle tightened around her stomach and she released a muffled scream out of her mouth as the boy quickly turned around to look at her. Their eyes made contact, and Runo could feel herself grow calmer. Her heartbeat steadied and she stopped struggling against the greenish things. 'We'll get out of here' that's what the blunette understood once she saw Dan's reddish eyes.

In an instant a bright light came from under them, and the tentacles started to drag them down. Runo lost Dan's figure for a while, as the green tentacles pushed them far down. She caught her breath once she was released from the grip of the tentacles as her body collided head first with the floor.

"Runo, are you alright?!" Alice asked, concern in her voice as she knelt down beside the blunette. Runo's head was spinning, and she felt like she wanted to throw up but pushed the feeling aside, and sat up on the ground. She noticed they were in a different passage now, dust covering the stone cold floor and torches lit all guiding them to a hall. She saw Julie tucking away her wand and running over to the brunette boy lying down on his stomach on the floor.

"What was that?" The Gryffindor girl managed to ask as her redhead friend extended over her hand and helped her stand up. Dan was quickly up on his feet again thanks to Julie, and the blunette could see some bruises already forming all around his neck and arms. She felt as well a sore sensation all around her mouth and throat mostly, and all over her body.

"That was a Devil's Snare" Julie said with a proud smile "It's a plant with the magical ability to constrict or strangle anything in its environment. Struggling will only make the plant exert with a greater force" The silver head then pouted at them "That's why I told you guys to calm down!"

"We saw you guys being practically eaten by that thing, and you wanted us to feel calm?!" Runo said in a hoarse voice and started coughing instantly. That tentacle really did strangle her enough to leave a mark. Alice's hand was on her back patting her until her coughing fit stopped.

"That's when we used the fire-making spell to get you guys out" Alice commented. Julie didn't say anything else and she kept on walking towards the new encountered hall, as Alice trailed behind her.

"You okay?" Dan's voice snapped Runo out of her frustration as she set her eyes on him. She could now see more clearly the dark purple lines of the tentacles all over his body. The blunette took in a deep breath.

"Don't you dare apologize" The girl's eyes widened as the brunette's voice came out more serious than before. He looked physically hurt but she could notice that he wanted to keep on going "I made my choice to go in there, so it's not your fault"

"Sorry" Runo said with guiltiness "I'm just, what I mean to say is that-" The boy's chuckle made her stop. He went over to her and patted her head gently. His smile made her stop thinking.

"Kid I told you we were getting out of there, so now I promise you we'll get out of here" Runo swore he didn't look like a eleven year old boy to her. Dan's eyes sparkled with new determination and she felt influenced by it. She smiled back at him, and saw his eyes widen for a moment.

"Well then let's continue" Runo said now more confident than before as she made her way towards the new hall. She stopped to look back at Dan and noticed that he hadn't even moved from his spot. "What are you waiting for, come on let's go!" She called back to him, as he snapped out of his trance and ran back at her with reddish cheeks.

"Guys you have to see this!" Julie' voice called out to them from the end of the hall. Quickly Runo and Dan made their way towards them and examined the room. It had a high ceiling all made out of stone, and at the center there was a cylinder slowly spinning and a wooden door standing by. Suddenly a swarm of birds flew past them at high speed, and after them was a boy on a broomstick. Runo's eyes widened at the scene; the birds were all flying from one place to another while the boy chased after them, desperately trying to grab one of them. The boy looked familiar to Runo but she couldn't pinpoint who he was.

"Shun?!" Dan suddenly yelled. The boy turned towards them and the blunette could confirm that it was really the Slytherin. "What are you doing here?!"

"I should ask you the same thing" The raven-haired boy said back with a frown on his face, taking off after the flock of birds. They flew past the group, flying in circles around the cylinder, the birds making sudden drops or turns.

"Wait Shun!" The brunette boy called out to him as he ran towards his friend. The rest followed behind him, as the blunette started to notice something strange about the birds. They did in fact have tiny wings carrying them from one place to another, but their bodies didn't look like them.

"They're keys" Alice said to her, glancing from her to the flock "I just noticed it now, but I don't know what they're for" Runo glanced at them one more time and could agree with her friend. Those things had wings and were flying in a pack, but they weren't birds. All of the keys had different shapes and colors, some of them rustier than the others, and even twice the size as some of them. The flock flew away faster than before, and Shun tried to keep up with them. Suddenly he managed to grab one of the medium sized keys, rustier than the other ones but it had a broken wing. In a matter of seconds the flock turned towards Runo and her group and flew in their direction at great speed.

"Head to the door, now!" The raven-haired boy instructed them and without protesting the whole group got to the door as he managed to fly past the flock. Shun threw the key towards them as Dan managed to catch it. The Slytherin jumped off the broom, just in time as the brunette opened the door. The flock of keys getting to them at great speed, the whole group ran inside the next room, shutting close the door just as the keys got stuck on the wooden door.

Everyone was panting from running from one side to another, with exhausted faces as they fell down to the floor. In a moment the whole room shook, and it felt like it started moving.

"Are you okay?" Dan asked Shun with concern, as the other boy only nodded in agreement "Now, what are you doing here?" The brunette crossed his arms over his chest, just as Runo, Julie and Alice got to them.

"Same as you, preventing that someone steals the Philosopher Stone" The Slytherin stated with a serious expression on his face.

"How do you know that someone is trying to steal it?" Alice asked with a frown on her face.

"I've been gathering information from the Head of Slytherin after the search in the library, and keeping up with your investigation. You weren't that subtle when you investigated the third floor corridor" Shun didn't falter a bit at the look that the Ravenclaw was giving him. Runo was about to intervene, when the room shook with great force and a wall opened up. Everyone moved towards it and entered the next room. The blunette felt her jaw drop. Before them there was what looked like an enormous set of Wizard's Chess. From one side there was the whites pieces and the other the black pieces. Near where the black queen was situated, there was a wooden door, the way for the next room.

"What now?" Julie asked with a nervous look on her face.

"Maybe we can get past it?" Runo suggested as she walked towards the wooden door. Suddenly the black pawns resting at the front sprung to life and drew out their swords, while the girl fell on her butt with surprise.

"I think that's not the best way" Dan commented as he extended his hand towards the fallen girl. With a grunt Runo accepted the help and managed to stand up, glaring at the black figures standing before them.

"We have to play" Shun stated with a firm voice, standing next to the white king with a serious look on his face "It seems like it is the only option" The group nodded at him.

"Alrighty then" Dan said with wicked grin on his face "Runo move towards the queen, Julie you move towards the bishop, Shun you stay there and Alice move to the rook" Everyone did as told just as Dan moved towards one of the knights "I already have a strategy planned out but I'll need from everyone's help, understood?" The group nodded at the brunette as he faced towards the white pieces. "Let the game begin!"

Runo felt her nerves grow even more at the last affirmation. In an instant one of the black pawns moved forward, and then stopped, waiting patiently from their spot. Dan called one of the other pawns as it moved forward, and stood next to the black one. In a swift movement the black pawn, drew out its swords and destroyed to pieces their pawn. Julie let out a surprised scream, and Runo bit down on her lip. 'This is going to be harder than we thought'.

Chess pieces moved from one side to the other, constantly destroying each other and leaving stone pieces left all around the board. The students moved from one place to another along with their respective piece, just as the brunette called out more directions. The blunette felt a knot down her stomach just as the game drew on and on; her brunette friend would suddenly smirk with confidence but in seconds he would scream out in frustration. Runo wasn't keeping up with the game. She had managed to figure out what kind of strategy Dan was using but she was completely lost from the other side. It seemed that the black pieces already knew what kind of strategy the brunette would use and when it worked, they would destroy it in seconds.

Dan called out the bishop Julie was in at front as it confronted one Knight from the other side. The black piece was destroyed in seconds just as the Hufflepuff took cover behind her respective figure. Runo looked towards her friend and noticed something. He looked exhausted but aside from that his piece was right before one of the strongest pieces of chess. The Black Queen had now an open path towards him.

"Dan! What's happening?!" Runo called out to him, and just as she was about to move from her spot, Shun called out to her.

"Runo don't move! If you do it will be game over!" The Slytherin said between gritted teeth, just as he turned towards his friend "Dan what do you think you're doing?!" The brunette simply gave them a wicked grin.

"Runo listen to me very carefully" The blunette felt her chest clench in nervousness "Once I move forward the queen will come to destroy me" 'No, no, no, no' were the only words echoing through the girl's head "When that happens you will have the perfect opportunity to do a Checkmate and win the game"

"But-!" The girl was about to protest but her friend simply stopped her. He was still grinning at them as he called out his own piece and moved forward. Julie was also screaming, wanting to leave her place and ran towards the brunette's side but Alice would keep calling out to her to calm down. The redhead was also moving from one side to the other inside of her space, biting down her nails in a nervous matter. Shun had a frown on his face, fists clenching at his side.

Runo watched everything happen in slow motion. In a moment Dan stopped moving, proudly standing next to the piece of a white knight just as the black queen made it's way towards him. The black piece stopped as if it was narrowing him down, and in a swift strike, took out her sword and slashed the knight into pieces. The blunette saw her friend flying to the other side of the board and hitting the floor, while pieces of debris flew all over the place.

"DAN!" The Gryffindor called out to him, but he did not respond. Once again she was tempted to leave her spot but she knew that if she did it, then her friend's sacrifice would be in vain. Rubbing out her eyes, she turned towards the other queen and with a glare walked towards her, just as the white queen followed behind her. She stopped in front of her and waited.

"Checkmate" The white queen took out her sword and slashed her opponent in an instant. The black pieces flew all around but Runo didn't move from her spot. With a few scratches on her face, the rest of the black pieces bowed down and moved away from the door, just as the white pieces stayed put. The blunette didn't even hesitate and took off in a run in the direction she saw Dan crashing down. She found him, face down and blood coming out the front of his head.

"No, no, no" Runo muttered as she knelt down in front of him, delicately placing his head on her lap. Now she was able to see the wound clearly, a gash near his left eye and blood still coming out of it. New bruises and scratches were now on his face, and the girl felt like crying. Julie appeared in front of her kneeling down as well as she took in the state Dan was in. Shun and Alice got there as well, the Slytherin with worry and anger all over his face and the Ravenclaw taking out her wand. The redhead casted a spell and in a second Dan's gash had closed up.

"We have to get him out of here" Julie was the first to speak up. Runo looked over at her; the silver haired girl looked preoccupied with tears streaming down her face but a serious look on her eyes. The bluentte only managed to nod as she turned her attention back to Dan once again. She started to smooth down his hair, in an attempt to calm herself down.

"I'll go back and take him to the Infirmary" Julie affirmed and the Gryffindor was about to protest but she stopped her "You have to finish this Runo. Now we have the confirmation we need that someone is really trying to steal it" The Hufflepuff put her hands over Runo's and gave her a little squeeze "I don't think I can keep up with you guys. I'll take Dan to the Infirmary while you get that thief's butt, got it?" Julie smiled a little at her, just as the blunette managed to nod back. Carefully Runo placed Dan's head on Julie's lap and ruffled his hair one more time before standing up.

"Let's go" The girl looked over at Shun and Alice as they nodded back. Before running towards the next door, the raven-haired boy turned to Julie.

"Take care of him Julie" The Hufflepuff looked taken aback but nodded nonetheless. The Slytherin turned back to two remaining girls and nodded. They took off in a run to the other side of the board and got to the wooden door.

Not hesitating the three of them entered the new room, just as the door closed behind them and all was covered in darkness. A chandelier hung above them and revealed what looked like a room in the sewers. In front of them there laid the fallen troll they had encountered during their first month in Hogwarts. The troll was lying on his belly, snoring and sending off a foul smell all around the room.

"Let's get past it" Runo suggested as she covered her nose, trying not to smell the air. Alice did the same as she nodded. Shun didn't look affected by it as he lead the way over to the next room and completely avoiding the lying troll.

Another wooden door rested at the end of the room, and without waiting for something the trio entered the new chamber. Suddenly a pair of candles lit up and a table appeared before them. On the table, there rested around seven crystal bottles, all of them with different liquids and colors on them and an old parchment lying at the center of them. The three students moved forward as the redhead took a hold of the parchment.

"It's a riddle" She muttered before continuing "I'll read it" She cleared out her throat and began reciting what the parchment contained.

 _"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

 _Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

 _One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

 _Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

 _Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

 _Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

 _Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,_

 _To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

 _First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

 _You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

 _Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

 _But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;_

 _Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

 _Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

 _Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

 _Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."_

"It's about logic not magic" Shun said out loud as he stared at the bottles lying in front of them. Alice looked deep in thought just as Runo tried to understand the lines of the parchment.

"It's giving us clues about the order of the bottles and what lies inside of them" Alice said out loud as she moved closer to the table and started to examine each one of the bottles. The blunette looked over at the vials and started inspecting them. She was sure she didn't get what the riddle was saying, but if she looked closely at each of the bottles, she could recognize some of them.

Runo was pretty sure three of the bottles had poison, two more deadly than the other, two other were of the same substance, which could be some sort of wine, and she didn't recognize the last two. The girl suspected they were some kind of potions but she didn't know what they were for.

"The order of the vials is poison, Nettlewine, potion to move forward, poison" Shun started announcing the order, just as Alice interrupted him.

"Weedosoros, Nettlewine and a potion to move backwards" Alice smiled proudly at the Slytherin, who just shrugged back without a comment. Runo only looked in amazement at the two of them; she was really glad they were with her.

"Now everyone has to drink one…" The boy only glanced at them before walking over to the table and drinking one of the vials. Runo and Alice both looked at him with shock until he said: "Its only wine you know"

"You almost gave us a heart attack!" The blunette exclaimed loudly at him, while the red head only sighed in relief.

"Then one of us has to move forward" The Ravenclaw looked over at her friend, picked up a vial and gave it to her. Runo's eyes widened, she was about to protest but Alice cut her short "You go on ahead Runo, if there's someone who can stop this thief is you."

"That's not true!" The Gryffindor exclaimed with frustration "I was practically useless in all of this! I didn't do anything and you want me to go after the thief?!" The thoughts had been bugging Runo the whole way. First Dan had gotten them out of the three-headed dog and sacrificed himself in the Wizard's Chess; then Julie had gotten them out of the Devil's Snare; Shun had helped them in the keys' room and alongside Alice they had solved the puzzle. Runo felt useless around them, they had risked many things to come in here and Alice wanted her to go and catch the thief.

"Listen to me Runo" The Ravenclaw said in a sweet tone of voice as she placed her hands on her friends' shoulders. "You are not useless, you were of very much help in here" Runo looked up at her, as the redhead smiled at her "You faced every challenge in here with bravery and courage, and believe me if you hadn't been here, we wouldn't have lasted that long" She chuckled a little bit as the blunette gave her a little smile. "You pushed us all inside first when the dog came after us" Alice's hands were now on her cheeks "You finished the chess game with a straight face" Runo now was smiling brighter at her friend "It was because of you that we didn't lose our minds in here and we didn't get lost, so you must go on"

"Geez Alice who knew you could be this dramatic" The two of them laughed, just as Shun smiled at them. Runo took gladly the vial from Alice's hands and inspected it. She would have to face the next challenge alone and confront the thief by herself. She shook her head and reminded, that she wasn't alone anymore. 'I have friends who support me now' the girl thought with a smile. Runo looked over at the table and picked up the other potion as she gave it to Alice.

"Take it, I'm pretty sure it's the potion to get you back" The redhead took the vial in her hands with confusion on her face. "Both of you get back to the castle and inform the teachers about this, and help Julie get Dan to the Infirmary" Runo advised them. The Ravenclaw nodded as she moved towards Shun.

"Good luck Runo and be safe" Alice said in a worried tone. She then grabbed Shun's right hand, making his eyes widen for a second before the girl drank the potion and both of them disappeared.

The Gryffindor took a deep breath and glanced at the vial in her hand. 'It's now or never' Runo thought, and without hesitating, she brought the bottle to her lips and drank the potion in it. Within seconds she felt the queasiness in her stomach as she was being transported into another place. Runo felt her feet land on the ground and she knelt down as a heavy dizziness hit her. Trying to regain her balance the girl opened her eyes and looked all around her. It looked like a stone chamber, with torches all around it, making a perfect circle, and a staircase that led to the center of the room. There a familiar mirror rested and beside it, the figure of a man was standing next to it. The blunette squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look at the man just as she was able to stand up. She walked down some steps and stopped after recognizing the figure. A cane was resting at his right hand, brown and white hair all over his head and a wicked grin spread over his face as he laid her eyes on her.

"Oh Miss Runo, what a wonderful surprise to have you here" Professor Glenn grinned at her just as Runo saw his eyes turning red.

* * *

 **I finally had the time to upload it, and it was 4 days from being a month since my last update. To be honest this chapter is by far my favorite one and I think you can see why, idk it felt really good like everyone cooperating to get to the last chamber, and well like I said Dan's character is one of the sweetest ones here. So yeah I'll leave you guys in a pretty cliffhanger, hope you don't curse me for it but it makes the story way more interesting (I think).**

 **And as for the next chapter, I'm sad to say this but chances are I'll update within a month once again. Yeah finals are coming up in college and believe me I'll be a wreck the whole month, finishing project after project. So I'll** **definitely won't be able to keep writing during this month but once December starts that's when I'll be on my winter vacation. Expect more updates from that month on, until I start the new semester of course. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and if you are a liking the story so far or have a comment on it, leave a review! Have a great week!**


	6. First Year: The Philosopher's Stone

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **First Year**

 **\- The Philosopher's Stone**

"Professor Glenn?" Runo asked astonished. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest just as the Astronomy Professor snickered. The blunette couldn't believe her eyes, she was sure the person she was going to find would be Professor Gehabic. "Bu-ut Professor Gehabic?"

"You really thought it was that old man?" The man hollered in laughter and spoke with a mighty tone "Having Michael Gehabic next to me, no one would suspect of the new Astronomy teacher as a thief" He smirked as his cane started trembling. The Professor muttered something under his breath and suddenly the trembling stopped.

"Then you released the troll?" The Gryffindor suddenly remembered Alice's speculations about the two events being connected but she couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"Oh yes my dear student" He chuckled at the assumption "I was the one who sent off the troll during the Halloween feast, and I was also the one who drank the unicorn blood" The professor was amused by the whole scene, just as the girl felt even more confused.

"You were the one who attacked me!" The blunette's head was a mess "But it doesn't make sense" Runo brought her hands to her hair, trying to comprehend what was happening "Why would you need it? You're still young"

"Young?" Jesse Glenn's mood changed in an instant as a scowl settled on his face, his left eye looked like it was glowing red and the trembling started "I have to live in this miserable body because of you!" Another voice came out of the professor's mouth, a more deep aggravated voice. The blunette recognized it from somewhere but in an instant the professor went back to normal again. The girl felt a little sting on her scar but she paid it no mind.

"You must rest master, I'll deal with the girl" The Professor muttered under his breath and he stood up straighter, taking various steps towards Runo. The girl took some steps back until a ring of fire appeared all around the room, leaving her without an escape. In that moment Runo recognized the Mirror of Erised, just as Professor Glenn stood right in front of her.

"You seem to be familiar with this mirror Miss Runo, why don't you help me use it?" The professor took out his wand and pointed it straight at her. Runo was about to do the same but in a second her wand went flying to the other side of the room. The girl shot Glenn a glare just as he looked amused at her attempt. He led her towards the mirror just as he started explaining "It seems that this mirror is the last key for me to get the Philosopher Stone, but oh dear how to use it?"

"Use the girl" The same deep voice spoke around the room, that only made Runo wonder: where had she heard it before? Professor Glenn kept on leading her until they were both in front of the mirror "Now tell me, what do you see?"

The blunette looked at the surface of the mirror hoping just to see her parents reflected in it. Runo's parents were standing beside her, with the same big smiles than the last time, and the girl thought she had made it for a second. Then the vision changed as the Gryffindor saw herself smiling right back at her. The vision appeared a red shining stone out of the blue, and threw it in the air, gleefully catching it once it came back. It gave Runo a playful wink as it hid the stone in one of her uniform's pockets. Then her parents came into view once again as the other vision vanished. Runo moved her hand as slowly as possible to check her pockets, and her eyes widened once she felt a strange figure in them.

"What is it?! What do you see?!" Professor Jesse exclaimed with impatience. His wand was pointing back at her once again, as the girl just kept on looking at the mirror, trying to come up with a plan.

"I see myself winning the House Cup for Gryffindor!" Runo said loudly, as if trying to convince the man "I am shaking hands with Professor Wyvern! I am hanging out with my friends!"

"Lies!" The strange voice appeared once again, angrier than before "She's telling lies! I can feel it!" Runo looked back at Professor Glenn as he only shot her a dark glare "I'll deal with her myself!" Suddenly a scream came out of the professor's mouth as he covered up his face. The girl took some steps back towards the stairs, looking at the Astronomy Professor agonizing in pain. Cracking sounds were heard all around the room as he kept on screaming and what seemed to be a white horn appearing at the right side of his forehead. His face started to deform as well, and his skin turned to white in an instant. The blunette felt disgusted at the sight of the professor that she was forced to look away for a second. She even felt her scar stinging more than before; she started to scratch it out of habit, but the pain wouldn't go away. A final scream was heard and then laughter. A dark evil laughter echoed all around the walls, as the girl's eyes widened. She looked back at the man and she felt her stomach drop. Professor Glenn's face was deformed completely. It looked as if a monster had appeared out of the blue. His right eye was still closed but she could see madness pouring out of the other one.

"Finally I can see you face to face Runo Misaki" The same voice said with a menacing tone "Ten years waiting for this moment and it has finally come!" Laughing once again, Runo's mind was racing with thoughts. She had heard the laughter before, she was sure of that, but whom was this creature standing in front of her? "I'll fulfill what I couldn't do ten years ago! I'll kill you right here!" His right eye shot open and the blunette felt her scar explode in pain. Runo released a scream of pain as she fell to the floor, clutching her left arm in desperation. The blunette felt her arm burning up all the way as she tried to control herself. She managed to look up at the man and her eye's widened. A red eye looking straight at her, anger flowing right out of it.

In an instant Runo felt her mind flowing with past memories, as if it was being unlocked. The blunette clutched her head with both hands, panting hard and forgetting about the soring pain coming from her left arm. The man before her was grinning in mischief, his eyes glinting with triumph. In a swift movement Runo was thrown to the side as her body collided with the stairs.

"You look surprised Runo Misaki, did you already forget who he is?!" Professor Glenn's voice spoke "I am the greatest Dark Lord, Amethyst NAGA!" The other voice yelled in exasperation. The blunette managed to sit up and look at the man before her. She felt hopeless in front of them; she hadn't been able to spot her wand in all of the room and both them were going mad.

"Who?" Was the only question Runo managed to ask. She was sure she had never heard of such a name, neither in the muggle world nor in Hogwarts, until now. The man frowned in desperation just as the heard it.

"Then it is true, they did use a memory charm on her master" Professor Glenn said with hatred in his voice. The other creature just walked towards Runo. The girl felt another wave of pain coming from her arm; she clutched it tightly as the one claiming to be a dark lord stood in front of her.

"How disappointing, the mere girl who managed to vanish me, doesn't even recognize an old foe" His face was torn between annoyance and hatred. To say that the blunette felt afraid was an understatement. She felt terrified now that the creature was right in front of her. "Allow me to do it master" Professor Glenn pointed his wand at her forehead with a smile. "Maybe this will help you remember" A ray of green light blinded her as she felt another wave of pain coming.

* * *

 _Runo opened her eyes and was met with even a stranger sight. Her mother's face was mere inches away from hers. She tried to talk to her, but found out that no words would come out of her mouth. Another face came into view, her father's face, full of worry and desperation, as he kissed her forehead and looked with guiltiness at his wife. The blunette also noticed that she wasn't in Hogwarts anymore. It seemed to be like a regular baby room in England. With a little crib, toys all over the floor and a rocking chair. The girl didn't understand, what was happening? Why couldn't she speak to them? Runo tried talking once more but her attempt was silenced with a loud bang coming from another room._

 _Her father gave her mother a kiss, before leaving the room, just as her mother hugged her even tighter than before. Another bang was heard, with a green blinding light, along with her mother's screams of agony. Runo felt her heart hammering once again, terrified of what was happening before her eyes. Before she could react, her mother gave her a kiss on her cheeks as she placed her on the crib. She whispered some words to her but she couldn't understand them. With tears streaming down her face, her mother turned around just as another man entered the room._ _He was covered in black robes and a hooded cape, so the girl wasn't able to see him clearly. He had his wand raised up, pointing at her mother, who was not moving from her place. Runo wanted to tell her to run away, but it was to no avail once again. The man and her exchanged words, her mother screaming at him. The man without a second thought, casted a spell, and a blinding green light appeared again. Her mother fell to the floor, limp and not moving. The blunette watched with horror as the hooded man approached her and pointed the wand at her. She only managed to see two red slits looking back at her, underneath the shadow on his face. He casted the same spell, and another green light appeared, just as she rose up her left arm to protect herself. After that, another thud was heard, and then the ceiling of the house fell on her._

* * *

Runo woke with a start. She started gasping for air and coughing in an instant, as she tried to regain her consciousness. Her whole body was aching and she could feel some blood dripping from her nose and the back of her head. The girl looked up to see the creature in front of her, watching her with a wicked smile. Runo's eyes widened once she met the red eye looking back at her.

"Get the stone" The creature exclaimed. The girl turned just in time as Professor Glenn pounced on her. His eyes were glinting with craziness, just as he grabbed her right arm and slammed it into the pavement. The girl tried to push him off, but he gripped on to her throat with force. She could feel the air leaving her lungs, and her throat tightening up once again. Scar burning up once again, and her whole body aching. She tried to remove his hand but he would not move. Suddenly he started searching for the stone in her pockets. Runo started kicking as if trying to knock him off. Her heart was hammering in her chest as fear started to take over her. The girl felt the professor taking the Philosopher's Stone from her pocket and looking at it with triumph. Forgetting all about her need for air, Runo scratched the face of the man with all the force she could muster. In a moment the man started to scream in agony as he tossed away the stone to the side. The blunette looked with surprise as a giant gash was starting to form on his right cheek. It looked like his skin was burning away.

"Kill her! Kill her!" The man started hollering in pain. The Gryffindor didn't waste any more time as she started to scratch his face in all of the places possible. More skin started to melt away, disintegrating piece by piece, the man still yelling in agony. He managed to grab her throat once again, but Runo wasn't stopping. She kept on going in all of his face until there was only what seemed to be sand left. The professor gave one last yell of agony as all of his body turned to sand and he dissolved into the air.

Runo was panting hard, trying to process what had happened. She couldn't feel her body and she was trembling in shock. She noticed the Philosopher's Stone was resting a few meters away from her. With a little strength left, the girl crawled over to where the stone rested and picked it up.

The same menacing laughter was heard once again as the girl's head snapped up. What seemed to be some sort of spirit was standing before her. It had the face of the man who had attacked her parents. Even in spirit Runo could feel his red eyes piercing her memory, painful flashes passing her mind and a burning sensation from her scar. It laughed again and with a dark smile. In a second the spirit laughed even more as it passed through her body, floating away towards the castle. The ring of fire died down and darkness enveloped Runo in an agonizing state. The girl felt a heavy weight on her, and darkness all around her being. In an instant she collapsed on the stairs, clutching to the Philosopher's Stone for dear life as her mind went blank.

* * *

The blunette slowly opened her eyes. Runo noticed that she wasn't in the same place where she had a black out; she was now lying in a comfy bed. The girl saw a high-end ceiling, with a chandelier hanging right in the middle; large windows on each side of the walls, curtains draped over them. Beds were placed in a neat order, to her right, left and front, each one with a candleholder to their right. A grand door was placed at the end of the room. Beside her there was a wooden bedside table, that was filled up with what seemed to be presents. Runo tried sitting up, but a pain on her abdomen made it impossible for her to do so.

"You shouldn't move around too much Miss Runo" A woman's voice said with amusement. Runo's head snapped upwards, as she was met with a pair of violet eyes. Opal Wyvern was sitting in a wooden chair, right next to her bed, a sweet smile on her lips. The girl flopped down on the bed once again, a pain shooting up on her head. "Your head and stomach have bandages, as well as our scar since it seemed like it was burning up. Worry not Madam Rain has made sure you'll be able to leave tomorrow morning" Wyvern started explaining but Runo only nodded solemnly.

Her head was made a mess after what that creature had shown her. She had a vague idea of what it was, but she couldn't accept it. Why would that man want to hurt her parents? Another thing on her mind was her friends; were they okay? Had the school reached for them? Did any of them suffer some serious injuries?

"It seems like something is troubling you" Professor Wyvern commented, but the girl only nodded in response "Well let's see, the Philosopher's Stone has been destroyed, your friends have all been treated and they left the Hospital Wing a few days ago" at that the blunette released a sigh of relief "We found your wand and left alone your bags of presents" the girl looked over to where presents laid, and true enough, her wand was lying there. The professor kept on talking as she reached over for it and grasped it with her right hand. A Holly wand, with a Phoenix Feather for a core, 13.5 inches; Runo felt more complete than before.

"Thank you" Runo interrupted Wyvern in her talk. The girl gave her a smile but then her mind wandered over to the man from before "But what is troubling me is another matter"

"May I know what it is?" Opal asked with kindness. Runo questioned in her mind if it would be all right to tell her about what had happened between her and Professor Glenn, but decided that it was better if the professor knew about it. So the blunette spoke with her about the whole encounter between her and the Astronomy Professor. Not once did Professor Wyvern interrupt her, which made the girl feel more confident about telling her. Once she finished telling her everything she had experienced in that place, Wyvern took hold of her left hand and held it tightly.

"I am very sorry you went through all of that Runo" The professor said with guiltiness "If I had found out sooner that Professor Glenn was not a man to be trusted, you and your friends would not have been caught up in this mess"

"It's not your fault professor!" Runo exclaimed instantly "I mean we decided that we would pursue the thief, but we didn't expect that all of those things to happen" Wyvern only gave her a sad smile as she gave her hand a light squeeze.

"What a sweet girl just like your mother" The professor whispered before looking back at her "I assume that you would like to know about this creature now, right?" Runo slightly nodded at the question, as the professor inched closer towards the girl. The girl noticed instantly as the professor's demeanor changed instantly; she looked more serious know, one might even say that she looked murderous, but she still gave off that calming aura.

"That man's name is Naga. Naga Amethyst to be exact" The professor started explaining "He was once a student from here, from the Slytheirn House. He was brilliant in most of his subjects, but he had a terrible fascination for the dark arts. He also believed that those wizards who were muggle-born weren't pure enough to be from the magic world." The professor had a look of disgust on her face that made Runo feel nervous "He started the First Wizarding War, torturing and murdering every person he deemed to be not worthy, along side his followers called The Vexos, who would follow his every command" The blunette's eyes widened at such tale, just as the professor kept on going, looking more angrier than before "The war lasted around eleven years. That was until his downfall" Now Wyvern's tone of voice changed as she squeezed Runo's hand harder "On the night of October 31st Naga went to the Misaki residence, and killed your parents" Runo felt a pain in the gut, that was not from wounds she had received. "He even tried to kill you, but his spell rebounded, thus killing him and leaving you with the scar" Professor Wyvern looked at Runo with apologetic eyes, but the girl only shook her head. There was no point on dwelling it now, her parents were already gone, and the only thing that changed was that they had been murdered. A few tears slipped her eyes, but she wiped them away furiously, mad at herself for crying about something that had already happened.

"It is okay to cry Runo" Wyvern moved closer to her. The girl shook her head once more, furiously wiping her eyes. She will not give that murderer the satisfaction of making her cry over the matter.

"But then, why did the spell rebounded?" Runo looked up and asked the professor "I mean it killed my parents, so why did it not work on me?"

"Because Runo, your mother placed her life on the line for you" Wyvern said in a calming tone of voice "They both risked their lives for you; your mother died saving you out of pure love. That is something Naga doesn't understand, what love even means. But your mother loved you so much she threw her life away without a single thought, as well as your father. That's another reason why Professor Glenn couldn't touch you. Your parent's love is still protecting you, even after all this time. Watching over you and keeping you safe" The blunette gave her a sad smile. She couldn't imagine being loved that deeply by anyone, but hearing Wyvern explaining it, made her heart ache even more for her parents.

"Thank you for telling me Professor Wyvern, it means a lot to me" Runo said feeling a little better than before.

"I'm glad I could help" Wyvern stood up from her chair and gave her a final smile "Now it seems like Tigrerra has something to discuss with you" She pointed towards the door. The Gryffindor followed her finger and noticed the Transfiguration Professor was giving her an apologetic smile and holding a bag of Chocolate Frogs on her hands. She smiled and waved at her, as she did the same "Well I better get going Runo, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. Good day to you!" Professor Opal waved cheerfully, greeted her professor and with no hesitation left the room.

The Transfiguration Professor walked over to where Runo was lying down. She placed her gift at the bedside table before taking a seat on the wooden chair next to the blunette.

"How are you holding up Runo? We were all afraid that you wouldn't wake up" The pair laughed a little but then the professor's expression turned solemn. The blunette had a feeling of what the woman was going to tell her.

"What's wrong Tigrerra?" The girl asked with concern. The professor looked up to her and took a deep breath before continuing.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your parents back at the orphanage" The blond woman crossed her arms over her chest as she talked "I'm sorry I erased that memory from your mind, the day you parents were murdered. And I'm sorry you got into so much trouble these past days" The professor sighed, interrupting Runo in her answer "I just thought that you could've been happier without that memory for some years. I didn't want you to be haunted by such things." Tigrerra took hold of Runo's left hand and said with guiltiness "I didn't tell you about your parents when we met, because you looked so happy. You were glowing in happiness once I told you about Hogwarts and then when we made the trip to Diagon Alley" They both released a little laughs, remembering how the blunette would skip from shop to shop, questioning everything she saw "I didn't want to ruin it for you. But I should've known tat it would only bring you doubt and misery." Tigrerra tightened her grip on the girl's hand "I'm so sorry Runo"

It was true Runo felt a little upset with her. After all she had lied about her parents since they met, and on top of it she had erased part of her memory. The blunette felt betrayed after hearing such truths out of her mouth but she knew she couldn't stay mad at her for too long. Tigrerra was the one who got her out of that horrible place back in the muggle world, and she was the one who had introduced her to Hogwarts, and she felt incredibly grateful for that. And the professor had only done all of those things, since she thought they were the best actions for her. Runo knew she wouldn't stay mad at her.

"I forgive you" Runo whispered back to the professor with a smile. The woman held on to her hand tighter and gave her a watery smile. Quickly the professor wept away some tears at the tip of her eyes as she laughed at the scene.

"Thank you Runo" The blunette smiled brightly at her. Her heart even felt lighter after the conversation with her two teachers. Like some unknown weight had been lifted off from her, and she couldn't feel more relieved than that. She was about to say something to Tigrerra when the door of the Hospital Wing opened with a bang. Runo's head turned in that direction only to be tackled down to her bed once again. A familiar ponytail of silver hair appeared on her vision.

"Julie I can't breathe!"Runo retorted trying to push away the Hufflepuff, but the girl kept on hugging her. Eventually Runo heard some sniffing coming from the other girl, and she couldn't but smile "I'm alright Julie, there's no need to worry" Julie drew back from the hug, tears spilling out of her eyes. She started to wipe the away just as she started nodding and muttering "I'm so glad".

The blunette sat back up on her bed, noticing that her other friends were there as well. Alice was smiling the brightest; her eyes looked a bit watery and tired, as if she hadn't slept in many nights. Shun was just looking at her with a tiny smile of relief, a bandage over his head, and arms crossed over his chest. Dan was smiling as well, wanting to jump in happiness, but couldn't since a cast was on his right leg and he was holding on to a crutch. He gave her a thumb up and Runo just laughed at his antics. The girl felt the happiest at that moment; knowing that her friends had her back in these situations made her feel overjoyed. She couldn't wipe off that smile from her face.

"You and your friends have a lot to talk about as well I presume" Tigrerra smiled back at her. She then presented to Runo a brown box with a little insignia at the front. With curiosity the girl took the box from the professor's hands and examined it. At the insignia there was a phrase written "For you". Before the girl could even ask, the professor answered her question "I would advise you to open it while you are on the train or even in your room, with that I take my leave. I'll see you all at the term feast of tomorrow!" The Transfiguration Professor said no more as she left the Hospital Wing with a happier mood around her.

"How are you feeling, kid? The classes have been really boring without you" Dan asked, still smiling and holding on to his crutch. Shun helped him sit down on the nearest wooden chair.

"I feel great actually" Runo beamed. Even though her chest was still hurting from the past events and that she was still at the Hospital Wing, nothing felt better than being around her group of friends.

"You had us really worried Runo" Alice moved towards her with a gentle smile "You had been asleep almost three days now, don't scare us like that again!" She gave Runo a playful pat on the head.

"I'll try not to" The blunette giggled at the redhead's actions. The group only laughed as a tension was released from the air. Runo stretched out her hands a little as she picked up a box of Bertie's Botts Every Flavour Beans. She opened it with ease and examined the beans before eating one "So what did I miss these past few days?"

"Oh nothing much, but Slytherin won both the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup" Dan commented bitterly, as he shot the raven haired boy a glare. Shun only shrugged, but also sent a smirk at his friend.

"Maybe if you hadn't lost Gryffindor so many points, you could've won" Runo only watched as Dan took his crutch and threw it at the other boy. The Slytherin dodged it easily and looked back at the brunette with a blank stare, as if saying 'That's all you've got?' The girls only smiled nervously as Dan tried to stand up from the chair but failing at do it so, throwing curses at the other boy. The blunette picked one bean and threw it in her mouth, instantly thankful for getting a chocolate flavored one. She offered one to the girl's, Alice declining and Julie picking one.

"Yesterday was the final match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, but the Slytherin team was way faster than my house" Julie said a little down, as she threw the bean at her mouth. She made a little pout on her head, and muttered a "Damn it, I always get the Cinnamon ones" Julie then moved and grabbed another bean from the box.

Runo ate another one, recognizing the pizza flavor one it entered her mouth. Dan was now lying on the floor, after throwing the chair at Shun and the other boy catching it with his wand without difficulty. The Slytherin was standing to the side, looking un-amused at the brunette. He gave one final sigh and went over to his friend, offering his hand. The Gryffindor only grumbled out a response, as he took his friend's hand. Both of them moved towards where the girls were seated, Alice with a nervous smile on her face, and Runo and Julie started to bicker about the candy in the bluentte's hands.

"You are going to eat them all Julie!" Runo moved away from the silver haired girl, as the girl tried extending her hand, but failing at reaching the box of beans.

"Just give me another one Runo!" Julie was basically stretching as far as she could in attempt of snatching the box from the Gryffindor's hands. The blunette tried pushing her friend away, but she wouldn't move. Suddenly the box of Bertie's Botts Every Flavour Beans was gone from her hand.

"Hey!" Both of the girls exclaimed at Shun with a glare. The Slytherin shrugged as he threw a bean in his mouth, his face expressionless as he ate it. He picked up another one and ate it with ease. Before he could pick another one, Runo threw a pillow at his face. The object hit him on the head and the plopping down to the floor.

"You got him!" Dan exclaimed in both happiness and surprise. A laugh made way to their ears. They all looked back at the Slytherin with shock on their eyes, as the boy released a laugh from the situation. He stopped once he saw the looks the group was giving him. He tried to look serious once again, but everyone else knew he wasn't like that at all.

"Not so serious after all Kazami" Runo gave him a mischievous smile, as the other boy only rolled his eyes and gave back the box of candy. The blunette took it with ease as she ate another one bean without a thought, regretting instantly as the flavor of mustard made her way over her mouth. In that moment Julie snatched the box from her hands, but before she could even grab one, Dan had already shoved multiple beans on his mouth all at once.

He looked triumphant for a moment, at seeing Julie's defeated face once there were no more beans, but after swallowing them he made a face of disgust.

"That was not a good idea!" The brunette commented as he got a smack on the head from Alice. Everyone else laughed and Runo could only feel thankful to her parents. If they had not given up everything for her, she wouldn't have the chance to live through all of this. She watched as Shun only shook his head at Dan a smile still plastered on his lips, Alice scolding the brunette for doing such an irrational thing, Julie laughing at the face the boy was making and Dan griping onto his stomach with a defeated look on his face. The boy looked over at her, as she smiled back warmly at him. The boy's eyes widened for a moment before his lips broke into his usual goofy grin.

* * *

The sound of chattering and laughs filled Runo's ears as she happily took a piece of apple pie into her mouth. She had been released from the Hospital Wing that same morning with a great deal of scolding from Madame Rain. A bandage still over her stomach and right hand was the only proof of what had happened previous nights before. Dan was sitting besides her, shoving a block of ice cream in his mouth, trying not to get brain freeze every now and then. He was still using his cast and the nurse had advised him to stop wearing it during the summer. And that left her with a complaining Dan most of the day. Fabia and Chan Lee were sitting in front of her with a grumpy look on their faces. The whole house of Gryffindor had been in a bad mood after learning that the Slytherin house would mostly win the House Cup, but Runo didn't feel much to bothered about it. Sure, she was bummed they hadn't won, but it wasn't like she had contributed to winning the cup. She adjusted her pointy hat at the top of her head once more, as it threatened to fall down once again. All of the students had been required to use them, since it was an official and formal event along with their typical robes. The girl looked over at Dan, who was now eating a piece of apple pie, whose hat was now lying on top of the table, full of grains of food and stains. Without warning the girl slapped the brunette at the top of his head. The boy let out a whimper from his mouth and was about to retort something to the girl back, but he was interrupted.

Suddenly a tinkling was heard all around the room. The blunette turned to see Tigrerra holding up a wine glass and a silver spoon on her right hand. All of the chatting disappeared as most of the students looked over to the Professor's table. Professor Wyvern then stood up with a shinning smile on her face, as she looked at the students in front of her. In a second their eyes met and Runo couldn't help but to return the smile to the professor. The headmistress smiled even wider as she straightened up her back and spoke with a clear voice.

"Another year has gone by, a one full with memories and new experiences, a one we must all learn from and grow from it" All of the students looked at the headmistress in expectation, waiting for the announcement of the House Cup. "And I think you are all waiting for the awarding of the House Cup" All of the students cheered before Wyvern held up her hand and silence was met once again. "In fourth place with 350 points the House of Gryffindor" Runo and her friends with a sad smile clapped along with the rest of their house. "In third place with 370 points the House of Hufflepuff" The blunette clapped as she looked over at the black and yellow house and noticed her silver haired friend clapping slightly. "In second place with 400 points the House of Ravenclaw" More lively cheers were heard as the girl noticed Alice with a gentle smile, clapping alongside her roommates. "And finally in first place with 460 points the House of Slytheirn" The whole silver and green house erupted in cheers as the rest of the students clapped for them. The blunette turned to Dan but found that he was still clapping but with a frown on his face. She then looked over at the Slytherin table and watched how Shun was clapping alongside his house with a tiny smile in his face.

"Very well done Slytherin!" The Headmistress flashed them a bright smile and added "But I would like to grant some extra points if I may in occurrence of recent events" The whole room fell into silence once again. Runo and Dan both looked at each other with confusion as a few whispers could be heard amongst the students.

"To Miss Julie Makimoto, for giving unconditional support and never leaving your friends behind even in situations of great peril, 50 points" The Hufflepuff house cheered for Julie as the silver haired girl only blushed in embarrassment. "To Mister Dan Kuso, for his enormous courage when needed and showing us an incredible Wizard's Chess Game that Hogwarts has ever witnessed, 50 points" Runo clapped happily as the Gryffindor table clapped Dan in the back, all of them cheering as loudly as possible. "To Miss Alice Gehabic, for showing us a great intellect and wisdom through the darkest of times, 50 points" Alice's housemates clapped for her as the red head only smiled in embarrassment. "To Miss Runo Misaki, for representing her house as best as she could, undeniable bravery and pure love, I award you with 60 points" If it was possible to cheer any louder, the house of Gryffindor sure did. They all clapped and the closest to the blunette hugged her in delight. The girl only smiled as her cheeks lit up in embarrassment. Dan clapped the loudest beside her and gave her a light pat on the head.

"We and Slytherin are tied now" The boy whispered in happiness. She hadn't noticed it till now, but if they added the points that were just given. Their house was on the par with Slytherins house now. Professor Wyvern held up her hand once more, and the students' chatter died down instantly. Everyone looked at the woman with wide eyes and hopeful smiles.

"And finally to Mister Shun Kazami, for always watching out for the people in need, and an outstanding flying techniques, I give you 50 points" The House of Slythrin cheered as the rest of the houses gave a round of applauses. Shun was being patted in the back as his housemates rejoiced once more. "Slytherin still stands victorious so this deserves a change of decorations" The Headmistress clapped her hands and suddenly a couple of banners appeared from the ceiling and changed to the colors of the Slytherin house along with their respective emblem. Runo was still clapping and noticed that Dan was still wearing a frown on his face. With a gentle smile she leaned in into his ear and whispered as sweetly as possible.

"We can't win them all can we?" The brunette looked over at her, and she only gave him a playful pat in the back as if to say him 'lighten up'. The boy only sighed but clapped for the Slytherin House as the kept on cheering for their victory.

"So now in commemoration of the year ending, please everyone pick up your hats" Professor Wyvern announced. The older students did as they were told right away, as the first years only looked at each other in confusion. Runo took her hat from her head hesitantly and looked over to the professor to look for more instructions. Professor Wyvern looked as if she was glowing with delight as the rest of the professor's stood up from their respective chairs, lifting up their wands in unison. "To a brilliant year and to hope for many more!" The Headmistress gave a final clap, and suddenly all of the student body threw their hats in the air. Suddenly fireworks appeared all over the ceiling, covering the dark night's sky with a colorful hue. Everyone was cheering and clapping; students were hugging their friends all around, while the teachers kept on casting fireworks to the Great Hall's ceiling.

Runo Misaki watched in amazement, as the hats were falling down now, and the fireworks were lightening up the ceiling all over. She was sure she had never seen something so beautiful and pure before. She felt her heart swell up in emotion. 'This is what home feels like' is what her mind was chanting. The blunette felt at ease in that single moment. She looked over at the professor's and saw as Tigrerra gave her an encouraging smile, as she kept on casting fireworks around her. She felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned and found her group of friends looking back at her with brilliant smiles. Dan was the closest to her, his goofy grin on his face; Julie had a flashing smile on her lips, as her face lit up even more with the fireworks; Alice was standing right next to the Hufflepuff with a sweet smile offering a hand to the blunette; and Shun was standing next to Dan a small grin on his face, arms crossed over his chest. The blunette let out a laugh of joy. She truly felt at home.

* * *

"All on board! The train is about to depart in two minutes!" Professor Ingram shouted at a platform of the Hogsmeade train station as students kept on walking inside the Hogwarts Express and waiting the return to their respective homes. The express whistled to signal there was a little time left for its departure. More students hurriedly ran inside the train, looking for an empty place to sit in.

"We're late and it's all your fault Kuso!" Runo yelled at her brunette friend as they frantically ran towards the train station. The blunette could hear the train whistle once more as she ran as fast as she could.

"My fault?! You were the one wanting to buy more candy!" Dan yelled back at the girl with annoyance, as he picked up the pace and ran in front of her, carrying his clutch by his side and jumping on his left foot every now and then. Cursing the duo ran faster to the station, hoping none of their candy was falling out. Professor Ingram was shouting once again, indications to close the doors of the train.

"Wait!" The blunette screamed in frustration. The professor seemed to notice them, as he indicated the driver to stop the doors. The two friends managed to make in to the station just barely, as the professor scolded them while guiding them towards the entrance of the train. Both Gryffindor's entered the train and then the doors shut themselves. Trying to regain their breaths, the duo made their way inside the train, looking for their usual group of friends. They found them right away and they swiftly entered the compartment, as both of them sat down at the cushion to the left.

"We told you it was a bad idea to buy candy at this time" Alice scolded them once again, and she proceeded to read the book in her hands, still a frown upon her face. The Gryffindor's paid her no mind as they were still panting from the run.

"Oh lighten up Alice, they brought candy after all!" Julie squealed in delight as she tried to take one box of Chocolate frogs from Runo's pocket, but the blunette swat her hand away.

"You get your own candy Makimoto, I risked my butt for these" Runo commented as she slumped down on the seat's compartment. The window was next to her, showing her in the distance the silhouette of the Hogwarts castle, making her heart clench a little bit. Suddenly the train whistled once again as it started moving away from the Hogsmeade train station and Hogwarts as well. The blunette inched closer to the window, as she watched the form of Professor Ingram disappear within the distance. No one said anything as the train kept on moving away from their school. Runo sighed, remembering the place where she will spend her summer vacation. She still wasn't ready to return to the Wool's Orphanage not one bit.

"Anyone want candy?" Dan's voice pulled her out of her thoughts as he pulled every candy her had stuffed in his pockets and placed them over the seat. Julie clapped at the brunette in joy, as she picked up her box of Chocolate frog and opened it anxiously. Alice only smiled in gratitude but didn't take any of the candy while Dan opened a wrapping of candy-floss. Runo took out the candy inside her pockets and did the same as the brunette. She picked up a box of chocoballs as she threw one in her mouth, the sweet taste of chocolate and strawberry filling her up.

"Anyway where's Shun? He told me he would be with us at the end of the feast" Dan commented as he picked up a piece of candy-floss, rolled it and then ate it without a problem.

"He was, but his roommates basically dragged him out, wanting to hear more details about the Philosopher's Stone" Alice commented dryly not looking up from her book. Runo eyed her with curiosity; she was acting as if something bothered her. The girl shook her head and paid it no mind and kept on eating her sweets.

"Well that's too bad, he's missing out on the candy feast" Dan shrugged but kept on eating the pink candy on his hands. Runo only crossed her arms as her friends talked more and more. A knot was forming at the bottom of her stomach and she was sure she knew why. The blunette was nervous to return to the orphanage, never in her life she had imagined something like that could've happened. Her face turned into a frown as she kept on staring at the scenery passing before them. The train had long gone passed the Forbidden Forest but she could still make out the trees in the distance. She hadn't heard her friends calling her name until she felt something drop in her skirt. She looked down and noticed a frog looking up at her. The girl shrieked instantly, jumping on her seat as the frog jumped from her lap and landed on the window of the compartment. Suddenly the amphibian climbed more and more as he got to the upper window and instantly flew out of the train. No one said anything until Dan started laughing along with Julie; Alice had a little smile on her lips and Runo could feel her heart ease a little bit. But without a second thought she smacked her brunette friend right on the head.

"For throwing that frog at me!" The girl said in an annoyed tone of voice as the boy only clutched his head and rubbed the spot where she had hit him.

"Well it helped you lighten up didn't it?" Dan pouted and looked back at the girl. Runo's eyes widened slightly at the comment and before she could answer he boy did "You were acting strange since the day started, but after we got here it has been more noticeable" The other two girls didn't comment on the boy's argument but they looked at their friend with worried eyes.

"That doesn't concern you" Runo whispered to herself but the boy was able to hear her comment nonetheless.

"I know it doesn't" The girl's eyes locked on his reddish ones "But we're friends you know? All of us, you can tell us if something is bothering you and we'll help" Runo felt her heart flutter when Dan finished speaking. She felt more confident after hearing her friends' words. She looked over to Alice and Julie, both of them were nodding their heads at her with a proud smile on their faces. The blunette couldn't help her cheeks redden a little bit in embarrassment.

"Oh shut up" She crossed her arms and tried to hide her blushing face, but failing completely at it. Dan just smiled at her knowingly and he kept on teasing her during the whole ride. Julie just kept on commenting when necessary while stealing a pair or two of candy from Dan's side, while Alice just smiled warmly as she read the text on her book. The rest of the ride was spent chatting and relaxing, as Runo started seeing a familiar station appearing in the distance. The train halted to a stop and revealed the familiar station of King's Cross. All of the students pooled out of the train without a second thought with their belongings in hand. Their respective parents rushed to them, enveloping them in a hug and kisses full of warmth.

Runo sighed as she watched the scene. The girl came down the steps of the train as her owl let out a screech in delight. Her friends were following right behind her, as she started looking around the station. A known mop of black hair was standing to the side with a scowl all over her face. The girl quickly turned to her friends before she could get dragged out of the 9¾ King's Cross' platform.

"I'll write you!" She said with confidence in her voice. Her friends all responded with the same enthusiasm, promising to write her back and Dan even assuring that he'll make Shun write to her as well. The blunette was about to say something else, but her lower hand was snatched up. Runo only turned and scowled at the older woman standing next to her, plastering her friends with a fake smile.

"Well I'm sure you will have all summer to continue chatting but we have to go now Runo dear, come along" Bella Black sent her a glare as she turned and dragged her towards the exit. The blunette didn't comment anything else as she turned her head towards her friends. They were all looking at her, faces full of worry and concern for her. She tried to wave if off by smiling as brightly as she could and saying her goodbyes. And as soon as that happened the vision of the Hogwarts Express along with her friends disappeared from her sight, being replaced by a brick wall in front of her.

"I hope you had a wonderful time at your freak school" The older woman commented full with hatred as they exited the King's Cross station and walked towards a black car, parked off to the side "Because I'll make sure you never go back there" Runo was about to protest, but she was tossed inside the car without a second thought. Lumos screeched once again, but now in alarm, as the girl rubbed her lower arm. A purple bruise was already starting to show in her pale skin. The girl only groaned as the car turned on and drove away from the train station. There was now going to be a longer ride back to the orphanage.

Runo slumped back into the black seat of the car, the only light available was the one coming from the window. The girl sighed as she reorganized her stuff that had been thrown into the car mercilessly. She placed Lumos' cage on to the other seat, the owl now seemed calmer than before. Then she took her truck and tried to get it into a sitting position beside her. Suddenly a brown box fell out of it. Runo knelt down to grab, before retaking her previous position as she started looking at it. It was the box Tigerra had given her back at the Hospital Wing. The girl looked over at the front side of the car, but watched nothing as a black glass separated her from Bella Black. Without a thought, the Gryffindor opened the box as she took out what was inside of it. What seemed to be a photographic album came out, as the initials "T" and "S" were written in cursive letters at the front. A white ribbon was tying together the album, and carefully the girl untied it. The blunette opened it and felt her heart stop. Her parents were waving back at her once more. Her mother looked younger with a longer blue hair and a dazzling smile on her lips; Her father with a messier mop of blond hair and eyes full of love. Suddenly her father kissed her mother on the cheek and the woman's cheeks flared up as she laughed. Then the scene replayed once again.

The eleven year old girl didn't knew she was holding her breath this whole time until she figured that what was in front of her was nothing more than a picture, a moving picture of her parents. She delicately touched the paper, afraid that if she did something rash it would break in front of her. She felt herself smiling down at the picture, eyes watering with happiness. The girl turned the page and found another photo but this one was of her parents a little older, no more than nineteen, and at their wedding. Her mother had a long white veil uncovering her face, and a flower bouquet full of white lilies, her arms around the neck of her father while he was hugging her with a heartwarming smile, twirling her all around. She turned the page again and found herself face to face with a picture of her as a baby. Her parents looked like they were in their twenties now, her mother holding her while her father held on to her little hand. Runo saw herself, she was just so little back there, with a tiny mop of blue hair and a smile on her lips.

The blunette felt the car stop and the front door being opened. Quickly the girl snatched the book and stuffed it inside the trunk without a second thought. Her door was suddenly opened, revealing an angry looking Bella Black at her.

"Get out" The woman ordered. Runo only glared back as she took Lumos' cage with one hand, and her truck with the other. A known black building was looming before her; the gates still rusty and closed, giving off an eerie aura all around the place. A shiver went down her spine as Black only moved forward and opened the gates to enter the Wool's Orphanage. She felt as if the world was pulling her down in that moment as she was forced to enter the front yard of the orphanage. She gulped down a tingling sensation appearing in her stomach. She will not be afraid of that horrid place, she had already defeated a dark wizard before and this year she had fought him once again. Runo filled her head with thoughts until her mind cleared and she remembered her group of friends. She had to stay strong for them in here, she had promised to write them after all.

"Move it" Bella Black was now at the front door opening it for her. The blunette straightened her back and let out a breath of air. With a new resolve in her mind, Runo walked inside the orphanage, head held high and a promise to herself. She had to withstand a summer in that place before seeing her friends once again. And with her parents at her side, she was sure she could do anything.

* * *

 **THE FIRST YEAR IS OVER! Exactly one month passed since the last upload but I managed to do it! Like I said, their first year is over and so many exciting and dangerous will happen after this, so this fic is about to start to get real intense. So little things about this fix, that yeah Runo couldn't remember what happened because Tigrerra placed a Memory Charm on her when she had rescued her back when she was only a child and it was able to break since Professor Glenn/Naga broke it. Another thing to the ones guessing if Naga was going to be the Voldemort to this story, yes you were completely right about it haha I thought about using Zenoheald as well but with Naga it made the story way more interesting. And in this case the love of Runo's parents was the reason she was saved from the curse. Another thing I changed was that Slytherin was the one who actually won the House Cup. And before you throw any death flags at me the reason I did it was because I remember reading it and feeling completely bad for Slytherin. Like yeah some of the students there were completely bullies but I'm sure not all of them are bad people and some even tried to win the House Cup.**

 **But enough about that, the second year of the brawlers will start on the next chapter. I don't plan to take a lot of time to update since I'm finally on my winter break right now, so I am writing the next chapters like crazy. Also I'm starting to revise my other stories and so far the only one I'm thinking of rewriting is "Mutant Battle Brawlers" but the story is changing a little bit. So I'll write the first chapter and you can tell me if you like the change or not in the reviews of the respective story. Anyways, hoped you liked this chapter and if you are liking the story so far, leave a review and have a great week!**

 **Pd. This has been the longest chapter I have ever written in my life, so sorry for the ones who don't really like long chapters I usually get super ahead and try to make the chapters 5,000 words or along those numbers but damn I got really excited with this one.**


	7. Second Year: Aerogan

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year:**

 **\- Aerogan**

Echoes of the orders Bella Black was giving were heard all around the building. The other orphans scared that they would get a scolding as well, decided that it was best to stay inside their respective rooms. The other caretakers steered away from the kitchen, not wanting to get dragged down in the mess that the blunette girl had ensured.

"After you finish sweeping the floor you have to make sure that the dinner hall is ready for our guests, you got it?!" The older woman yelled with authority at the girl, whom had her eyes glued to the floor as she kept on cleaning the floor.

Runo Misaki was sure that if the woman kept on yelling at her she would not hold back. Ever since she woke up she had been doing chores all around the building without a single break and she was getting hungrier and angrier by the second. The orders of Bella Black now seemed like distant ringing in her head as she realized something. Today was July 30th and it was her twelfth birthday.

Two horrible months had already passed from the summer and the girl couldn't feel happier. The sooner the months pass, the sooner she'll get back to her real home. It still blew Runo's mind to just think about Hogwarts as an actual school. And that she was attending it nonetheless. After she came back some of the orphans had asked where had she run off to during most part of the year, only for Bella Black to respond that she had spent them in a school similar to a Youth detention center. Now everyone thought she was a criminal. The girl paid it no mind since most of her vacation had been spent on cleaning the whole orphanage. She was now sure that Bella Black was out to get her.

More orders were being given as the blunette only huffed in annoyance. 'Can't believe this is how I will spent most of my birthday' was the only sentence in the girl's mind. And to top it all off, she hadn't had a single present. Forget the presents, a letter. Not a single letter from her friends had gotten to her. At first Runo thought that it was only because they didn't know where to sent it, so she decided to send Lumos with a letter for each one of her friends. She waited anxiously for two weeks only to find her owl returning empty handed. She was seriously hoping that something had happened to their respective owls because it was starting to worry her. What if they didn't really consider her their friend? What if they don't really care for her as much as she cares for them? She bit on her lip in frustration as she kept on sweeping the floor, more forceful than before. A thousand questions swarmed in the girl's mind until a hit on her head made her snap. On instinct the girl dropped the broom and touched the part where she had been hit.

"Now you're finally listening!" Bella Black glared at the her with full force "Or your head is too thick to do so?!" Runo only glared back at the woman, her lips forming into a frown as she started feeling a little bump appearing on he head. "What are you waiting for?! Pick up the broom!" The older woman kicked the broom farther away from the girl's reach, still shouting at her to pick it up. The girl only clenched her firsts and turned her eyes towards the woman; screw her food, enough was enough.

"No" The twelve year old girl said. Black only turned to her, eyes burning with hatred as she slowly approached the girl. Runo started fidgeting with the hem of her blue shirt as she felt herself grew more nervous.

"What did you say brat?" Bell Black was standing now in front of her, looming over her tiny frame "Pick it up." She ordered once again. The girl only gulped down her nerves and lifted up her face to meet the woman's gaze.

"No" As soon as the words left her mouth she felt a burning sensation on her left cheek. Her head was cocked to the side as her cheek was left tingling in pain. She covered it with her hand already knowing what had happened once she settled her eye on the older woman in front of her. Bella had her right arm raised, scowl still on her face, as if she was watching a hideous thing in front of her.

"Pick up the broom Misaki"

"No!" Runo said with more confidence. Before she could notice she was being dragged out of the kitchen and in the direction of the dorms. She tried snatching her arm free of the older woman's grip but it wouldn't move. It only made the woman's grip tighter, leaving dark bruises once again. The girl was now in front of her room, as her door was being swung open and she was thrown inside it. Her face collided with the floor as she turned to the woman with widened eyes.

"You will not leave this room in three days until you learn your lesson!" Bella Black yelled in rage. Runo ran to the door as it was shut and locked from the outside. She took hold of the doorknob but it wouldn't turn. "And make no noise tonight I have important guests coming so if you mess it up even more Misaki, you'll regret it!" She released a yell of frustration and kicked the door as hard as she could. The blunette immediately regretted it as a searing pain spread at the top of her right foot. She sat down on the floor, defeated as she heard little whispers coming from the other side of the door. She released a sigh as she took in her room.

Surprisingly when she had come from Hogwarts nothing had been moved or replaced. The only thing new was a layer of dust that covered most of her things, but aside from that it was the same as before. Her school trunk was now resting besides her bed, while most of the stuff inside was splattered around the room. Lumos' cage was near the window, so she could sneak out at night to spread her wings. Her parent's photo album was situated near her bed. The blunette smiled softly at it, completely forgetting the rage she had been feeling. It had grown on her to look at the album every night so she could sleep at ease. She knew it sounded dumb but she could feel relaxed afterwards. Her invisible cloak was also lying on top of the bed, it had worked so far to escape Black's shouting so early in the morning. Then there was also a bundle lying on top of her pillow. Runo frowned at this and rose from her position on the floor, making her way to her bed. Suddenly a creature jumped up from its resting position and the girl couldn't help but to jump and let out a little yelp.

"I'M SO SORRY!" The creature screeched and started bowing in front of her "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Runo stretched out her hands motioning him to be quieter. Just great a creature from the magical world sent to make her birthday even worse. The girl looked to the creature once more taking in its figure as it kept on bowing and apologizing. It had long pointy ears that were way bigger than his head; Blue eyes that seemed to pop out of his head any second; A frail small body only covered with an old tattered cloth. The girl couldn't help feel sorry for the creature it looked like he was struggling all around. Bandages were wrapped all around his hands and legs, and that cloth didn't look too warm either.

"Hey, hey, hey it's all right, don't worry about it" Runo said with an earnest tone of voice. The creature looked up again to her with wide eyes. He looked like he was about to cry out of pure happiness.

"Runo Misaki" The creature's lips parted into a wide grin, eyes full of happiness "It's such an honor to finally meet you miss!" It bowed down in a very formal manner, making the girl smile in embarrassment.

"Oh it's not such a big deal really" She commented as the creature looked up once again to her, as if it was about to go in talking mode again "But tell me who are you?"

"I'm Aerogan!" The creature exclaimed proudly while straightening up his posture "Aerogan the house elf!"

"Really now?" Runo's eyes turned to the door silently hoping that these rooms were soundproof (which they weren't). She tried to smile back at the elf in front of her as she spoke "Not to be rude or anything for that matter, but here's not a really good place to be talking with you"

"Oh Aerogan understands Mistress Runo" The girl's eyes just widened at the surname the creature choose "But Aerogan really needs to tell you this" Aerogan's eyes were now turning to every corner in the room, as he started to fidget with his hands "It's just a difficult topic" Runo's heart melt at the sight of the creature and let out a sigh. Here was hoping she doesn't get caught with the house elf.

"Well then, why don't you have a seat maybe you'll feel a lot better and there's no need to call me mistress" The second her words came out of her mouth she knew she had done something wrong. Aerogan's eyes started water as he plopped out of bed and started to wail; very loudly. The girl was by his side in an instant "No, no, no I didn't mean to be rude. Sorry I'm not good at this" The creature was now sniffing as he took its cloth and started to blow his nose with it. Runo wanted to give him a tissue but was afraid he would find it offensive.

"Offending Aerogan, Mistress Runo? Never Miss. It's just that Aerogan has never been asked to sit down by a wizard before" His eyes were still puffy but he kept on rubbing his eyes. The girl sighed as the elf kept on using the title of mistress.

"Well not many wizards have good manners" The girl smiled at the elf. She was surprised at how unbalanced things were back at the wizarding world. It was like the wizards were the top of the pyramid and the bottom were the magical creatures whereas it should be the other way around. The blunette honestly felt out of league talking with the house elf.

"Yes they really don't" Aerogan was smiling but instantly the happy smile vanished and it was replaced with a look of pure terror. "Oh no Aerogan's said such a bad thing!" He ran towards the closet and without a thought started to bang his head with the door. Runo ran towards him and tried to stop him from doing it, but the elf kept on hitting himself.

"Aerogan! Stop it!" The blunette whispered, looking at the door every now and then, hoping that no one would come inside her room. The house elf stopped and the girl noticed he was dizzy as he clutched to his head and tried to regain his posture. The girl only looked back at the door, thankful that it was still closed as she guided Aerogan towards the bed.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was that about?" Runo asked quite worried of the answer the house elf would give her. She took a seat in the bed as the creature hopped towards it. He only started playing with his long skinny hands before he answered.

"Aerogan had to do it Mistress Runo, he spoke badly about his family" His features changed and he looked pretty preoccupied on the topic. The blunette was about to ask him what did he mean by it, but the house elf beat her to it "Aerogan is bound to serve a wizard family forever, until his masters decide it."

"That sounds awful" The girl commented under her breath, and thankfully the creature didn't listen to the comment.

"If they ever knew Aerogan was in here" He just shivered at the thought, and looked in her direction, eyes now filled with resolve "But Aerogan had to come, he has to keep Mistress Runo safe" Now Runo was starting to get worried at the behavior of the creature.

"Safe? From what exactly?" Her face turned into a deeper frown as she tried to think of a possible reason for danger in Hogwarts. Sure, last year wasn't the safest but she couldn't come up with something much more dangerous than that.

"I'm sorry but that I can't say mistress" He bowed down but kept on talking "Mistress Runo you mustn't go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year"

"What?" The blunette's face changed from curiosity to surprise and then changed by irritation. If this elf thought that she was staying a whole year in this living hell called orphanage, he had a different thing coming.

"Terrible things are going to happen mistress! You must stay safe! A plot is bound to happen" He said in a louder tone of voice as if trying to convince her. The girl now scoffed at the argument.

"Excuse me but how is this orphanage any safe?" The girl questioned the elf "And what's this about a plot? Who would do such things?" The house elf muttered another 'can't say' but in an instant he jumped to her desk and picked up a lamp standing there, as he began hitting his head with it. Runo, was really started to get irritated by his behavior as she ran towards Aerogan and tried to yank the lamp out of his hands.

"Aerogan, stop this! We need to be quiet!" Finally the girl was able to grab the lamp and settle it in her desk. Suddenly slamming on her door was heard. On instinct the girl took the elf's hand and threw him inside her closet, managing to close the door just as the entrance of her room was slammed to the wall. Bella Black stood with a menacing scowl on her face as she started to walk towards the girl. Before Runo could even react she felt once again a sharp sting at her left cheek. Her head cocked to the side, already turning to glare at the woman.

"I thought I had made myself clear when I told you to make no noise Misaki" The older woman warned her. The blunette only managed to look up at her but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to receive another slap. Black only nodded and turned to the door once again before adding "Make one more noise and I'll make sure you don't see light in a week" and with that she slammed the door closed once again. The click of the lock was heard and then silence. Runo could breathe once again she fell to the floor, trembling from the shock. The door of her closet was opened, revealing a very shocked house elf looking back at her with pity.

"I don't want to stay here any longer Aerogan" The girl said with a pleading voice "Can't you see? This isn't a place for me. Hogwarts is my home, where I have friends and a real family" Living for ten years at the orphanage had been a nightmare for Runo, and after meeting all of her friends and attending Hogwarts, she would do anything in her power to go back.

"Friends who don't write to mistress Runo? Friends who forgot mistress during the summer? They don't sound like friends to me" The house elf plopped out of the closet, with his back against her. The blunette only bit her lip in frustration at the comment.

"I'm sure they have been busy…" Was the blunette's comment and she stayed silent. Then something clicked on her mind and she turned to the creature with curious eyes "How do you know my friends haven't written me?" The house elf suddenly straightened up and turned towards her with wide eyes. A fire started to spread inside of her body as she began to stand up from her position.

"Mistress must promise not to get mad at Aerogan" The creature's hands started trembling as he started to back away from the Gryffindor. The girl knew she was basically spilling fire from her eyes. Aerogan then flicked his fingers and at his hands a large package full of letters appeared. Runo noticed it and that was it to set her off.

"Give me back my letters" She warned the house elf. Aerogan only gulped down, taking more steps away from her, package still in hand. Runo kept on walking towards him, glare still on her face as the elf tried to articulate a good answer. That was until Aerogan's back collided with the wooden door. The house elf eyes grew in nervousness, as he flicked his fingers once again. The blunette only heard a click of unlocking as the elf quickly swung the door open and ran down the hall.

"Aerogan!" She yelled in frustration, quickly chasing after the house elf. Most of the orphans were inside their rooms, and Runo hoped they would stay that way. She wouldn't know what to do if someone saw Aerogan running in the halls. The creature ran quite fast for his short legs, jumping over any obstacle and even sprinting down the stairs. The girl didn't even hesitate as she ran as fast as she could after the elf, trying to get her letters back. They both passed the kitchen and barged in the main hall. Runo stopped instantly.

The main hall was mostly colored in black and grey tones, with an antique set of furniture at the center. Paintings of people were hung all over the gigantic walls, as a crystal chandelier hung at the center of the whole room. Black curtains draped over the larger windows, the only source of light being the chandelier.

Bella Black was seated just on the other side of the room, two unknown people giving the blunette their backs as they laughed merrily. The older woman was also smiling until she looked up and noticed the blunette. Her eye's widened in anger but kept on talking with the other couple. The house elf was a few meters away from Runo, looking between her and the older woman.

"Aerogan! Come back here!" Runo whispered, distress evident in her voice. The house elf seemed to be indecisive on what to do, until his eyes settled on the food that was resting on the kitchen.

"I'm sorry mistress, but this is for your own good" The house elf flickered his fingers once more as a massive cake started to float from the kitchen. It quickly passed Runo and made it's way towards the couple sitting in front of Black. The girl shot a glare at Aerogan as she tiptoed cautiously in the direction of the cake. Her wand was back at the room, but even if she used it outside of the school, she could get expelled from Hogwarts. She extended her hands as if trying to catch the cake, but with each step the cake got closer to the heads of the couple. Bella was glaring at her, eyes filled with rage as Runo took one step after another. Heart hammering in her chest from the nerves, the girl kept on approaching, feeling that she was almost catching the pastry.

It fell down, pieces of cake flying everywhere.

The girl stood dumbfounded, hands extended and still not processing the moment just now. Cake had been splattered across her arms and part of her face. She turned to glare at Aerogan, the fiercest one she could muster. The house elf only flinched, eyes full of fear. The creature dropped the letters and with another flick of his fingers, disappeared into thin air.

"I'm very sorry for my resident's behavior" Black's voice apologized to the couple. Runo turned to them, and she felt a shiver run down her spine once she saw the glare coming her way from the woman. The couple was basically drenched in bread and different colors of icing. She didn't saw the glares they were giving her, as they both stood up and said nothing more to Bella Black, making their way towards the main door. "No please wait up!" Black chased after them, trying to convince them to stay, the couple not responding to anything as they kept moving to the floor.

The girl let out a breath of air she didn't know she was holding. Quickly she dashed towards the fallen package with letters, relief flooding her heart once she noticed her name and her friend's name scribbled at the top of them. She hid them under her sweatshirt and looked over at the center table and noticed a set of papers, neatly organized at the table. The blunette peered over to see if Black was coming back, but she could still hear her pleas inside the house, so she moved closer to inspect the papers. Scamming over them quickly, her eyes widened once she noticed the title on the front paper.

 **SECURE CHILDREN'S HOME FORM**

Runo's breathing almost stopped as she noticed her name scribbled at the end of the page, while the name of two other people she didn't know. Quickly and without thinking the girl grabbed the papers and tore them apart. She released a huff and with that she heard a car screeching away and the front door being shut with great force. Bella Black came back to the main hall, more furious than ever, setting a fierce glare towards the blunette's way. Runo only gulped down her trembling fear as she tossed the form to the floor.

"You plan to send me to detention home now?! Is that it?!" The girl screamed back at the older woman with all the rage she could muster.

"After the freak show you pulled, of course I am! What did you think I would let you stay here?! Think again freak!" The older woman was yelling back at her, more furious than seconds ago. Runo was tempted to run back in her room but decided against it, she had matters to resolve with the woman. She was about to speak her mind once again, but in two strides, Bella Black had taken hold of one of her pigtails. The blunette let out a yelp of distress, as she felt the older woman pulling her towards the dorms with her hair. Black was still lecturing her, the girl not paying attention as the grip on her hair became stronger. Runo let out a yell now as she felt her body colliding with a wall, hair still being pulled. The older woman paid no mind, as they made their way towards the blunette's room. Bella Black opened the door and once again mercilessly threw Runo inside. The Gryffindor felt her scalp ache as the woman only slammed the door shut once again and locked it.

"Listen to me Misaki! I'll make sure you never set foot on your freak school! I don't care how long it takes but you are never going back to Hogwarts!" The older woman screamed from the other side of the door and with that the girl heard the woman walking away. Runo let out a frustrated yell as she threw her letters at the door. The girl let out a shuddering breath as she fell to the floor on her knees. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she held them back as much as she could. With guilty eyes the blunette went over to the fallen package of letters, picked it up and jumped into her bed. She held the letters close to her chest, already feeling drowsy and tired from such a long day. 'So much for my twelve birthday' Runo thought, but even so as she held on to the letters she felt herself grow calmer. For her friends and her real home, she will spend the summers at the Wool's Orphanage. She wasn't going to let Bella Black dominate her life. Not anymore.

* * *

 **The Second Years starts now! Hey guys, I managed to finish this chapter right before Christmas, so I'm posting it as a kind of Christmas present, I guess? Well anyways it's not a very happy or cheerful chapter for the story but you get to see how bad and mistreating Bella Black is and how Runo is dealing with all of this stuff. As well in this story if you remember Aerogan from the anime, he'll be kind of taking the role of Dobby in this story, but some things will change for the character. As for the next chapter I was planning on posting it around New Year's Eve, but I don't think I can make it since I'll be out of time during those days, but it will definitely be at the start of January.**

 **Anyways I wish for all of you to have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year's Eve, that you spend it with your loved ones and have a great time during these holidays!** **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and leave a review with any comments you have! Happy Holidays and have a great week!**


	8. Second Year: Meeting the Kuso's

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- Meeting the Kuso's**

With an aching hand Runo signed her name at the bottom of the letter. She carefully folded it in four and then secured it with an envelope. That was the twelfth letter she had written today and her ink was starting to run out as well as her determination to keep on writing. The girl stood up from her messily bed and stretched. She threw the now finished letter onto the pile near Lumos' cage. The poor owl would have to take several trips to take those letters to her friends. The blunette once again climbed up her bed and laid down on it, trying to get a second of sleep.

It had been around three days since her encounter with Aerogan and being locked up in her room. So far, she hadn't had anything to eat nor drink, and she had to survive with the little portions of candy that were left in her Hogwarts trunk. Bella Black hadn't even disturbed her in that period of time and she couldn't be more relieved from that. But since she wasn't getting a proper meal she would usually wind up asleep most of the day, while at night she had to entertain herself with something.

So far she had read and re-read, each and every single one of the letters her friends had sent her during the vacations. Alice had sent her around seven, Dan nine letters, Shun a total of three while Julie had got excited and sent her a total of fifteen letters, each one demanding an answer from her more and more aggressively. All of her friends letters at one point had asked her why she hadn't been responding to them. Runo growled inwardly, wanting to explain to them of how a domestic elf had stole them.

It was around midnight and the blunette was still rolling in her bed, trying to fall asleep, but with a growling stomach and a dried throat she couldn't. Runo whispered out curses as she left her bed, blankets thrown around the floor, going towards the pile of letters once again. Before she could even touch them, out of the corner of her eyes she saw a dim yellow light, approaching slowly. Curiosity got the best of her, as she approached her window and focused on the light. At a slow pace she could see the ball of light getting closer and closer, but she still wasn't able to figure out what it was. The ball of light grew and then suddenly stopped right in front of her window. With a frown, the girl edged on further in her window, trying to open the lid but finding out that it had been sealed shut as well. Suddenly another ball of light appeared, next to the previous one and they started to take form. Runo took a step back as a figure of a car started appearing right in front of her. Shock was written all over her face as she watched the car turned around and it revealed the people inside of it.

"Hey Runo!" Dan Kuso waved with a bright smile, while Shun Kazami just sighed, taking control of the steering wheel and waving at her as well, both of them in casual clothing. The brunette was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a long sleeved red shirt and a brown vest over it. While the raven haired boy seemed to be wearing a pair of black jeans, and a dark green sweater on top.

"Long time no see!"

Runo let out a yelp as she took another step back, as she slipped with one of the blankets of the floor and collided with the hard wood of her room. The girl winced a little, as she managed to get up again, seeing her friends in a red Ford Anglia right outside her window.

"Hey guys" She managed to say with a weak smile. Her mind was racing with thoughts; sure she was surprised and happy to see them there but she was worried at what would happen if someone, specifically Black, saw them at the orphanage.

"What you're not happy to see us?" Dan said with an angry pout and an annoyed tone of voice. Shun only rolled his eyes at the brunette.

"Oh no! It's not that really!" Runo tried to justify her actions. She moved closer to the window, moving the blankets out of her way, "It's just that you got me by surprise, how did you find me any way?"

"Well it wasn't that hard really" The Slytherin spoke up "Alice was the one who searched and found out the orphanage you were staying in, and she asked us to check in on you" He explained with a calm voice, and before he could finish the brunette interrupted him.

"But since you haven't replied to our letters, we couldn't know if you were okay or not" Dan crossed his arms, looking at another place that it wasn't her face. Runo felt even guiltier now. 'Stupid Aerogan' She cursed the elf in her mind.

"I'm sorry but I had a little problem with the mail, I'll explain it to you later" The girl bowed in apology "But you shouldn't be here, you're going to get caught!" Face with worry she tried to convince them to leave the orphanage "I'll see you when we get back!" Runo cringed at the lie because it was possible she wouldn't go to Hogwarts anymore.

"Oh no kid! You got it wrong, we're here to pick you up!" Dan spoke up with determination. Shun only looked at him and then slumped in the seat of the car. "You're going back with us and that is not negotiable!"

"What?" Runo inched even closer to the window "Are you crazy? What if you get caught?!" She asked more loudly now. If Bella found out that she was gone the next morning, she was sure that she would send her to the detention home for sure.

"We won't!" Dan said louder as well "That's why we have this car, it has an Invisibility Charm! And while we were driving here we didn't get spotted!"

"You don't know that for sure" Shun commented at his friend with a deadpan look on his face. The brunette gave his best friend a look that told him to shut up, but the raven haired boy ignored it and kept on looking straight ahead. Runo wanted to say something but she felt her words stuck in her mouth.

"Look Runo" Dan sighed and then looked over at her "We all have been worried sick about you since we separated at King's Cross, and then not getting a response for you was a nightmare" Her friends eye's were full of worry that she felt guiltier of causing him so much trouble "Shun and I came here to get you out of here"

The blunette's eyes widened as she saw her two friends in front of her. Dan had a serious expression on his face, with a little blush on his cheeks but she paid it no mind, while Shun crossed his arms and looked over at her, as if telling her to hurry up and decide. Runo turned her head to look at her room. Biting her lip she counted all of the possibilities that could happen if she actually managed to flee with her friends. She knew the risk and knew the consequences she could fear from Bella Black. 'Screw it' the girl turned to her friends with a smile.

"Then let me get my things!" She whispered excitedly. The Gryffindor grinned now at her change of attitude as the Slytherin only straightened up in his seat, a little smile forming on his lips. Runo didn't waste any time, she sprinted over to her school trunk as she stuffed everything that looked important to her in it. Her parents' photo album, the Invisibility Cloak, her school supplies and some packages of candy that were still left. Without giving it a second glance she closed it and moved it over to the window, taking down Lumos' cage as well. She took a look at herself; she was still wearing her pajamas. With reddish cheeks she crouched on the floor as she began changing to a pair of old tattered jeans, a white t-shirt that looked decent enough, a red hoodie that was lying around and a pair of old torn sneakers. Runo tied up her hair in a low ponytail and stood up again, noticing Dan was giving her a questioning look.

"I'm ready!" She said excitedly and with a thumb up.

"Well, take some steps backwards and with Lumos too. Shun is about to do something not so safe!" Dan instructed her and she did as told as she hurriedly took the owl's cage and stood far from the window.

The girl watched as the car started moving around, the back of it now facing the window in front of her. In an instant she saw how the car sped up and as it was about to collide with the glass, the girl brought the cage to her chest and fell to the floor. A loud crash was heard, little pieces of glass flying around and even some debris was spread around her room. The blunette coughed a little bit as she stood up once again. The window was gone and it had been replaced with a giant hole instead. Runo only sweat dropped as she saw the car opening its trunk. The girl quickly took hold of her baggage, threw it inside the car and closed the lid. She started hearing footsteps outside her room and some screams, and panic started to take over her. The car moved swiftly to its original position but a little farther out from the edge of the room and then Dan opened up his door. The blunette took hold of Lumos' cage once again as she passed it over to him, the owl screeching in protest. Her friend carefully placed it on the backseat and turned to her, hand stretching out to her.

Suddenly her door was slammed open. The girl turned her head, just enough to see Bella Black standing there in her evening gown with a couple of house maids behind her. The woman looked furious, as she suddenly ran straight at her. Without wasting time, the girl ran towards the car and without hesitation jumped towards it, stretching out her hand as well. Runo felt that she was falling but then a hand took hold of her lower arm. Not doubting she also held on to the lower arm of its owner. She managed to look up and was greeted by Dan's happiest grin.

"I won't let you fall kid, don't worry about that" She felt her lips curve up into a smile. She was being pulled upwards by her friend but then she felt a tug at her right foot. Runo turned with horror on her face and saw how Black had managed to get a grip on her foot.

"You're not going to that freak school again you hear me!" She screamed out in frustration. The girl tried kicking her way out of the situation, but the woman wouldn't move from her position. She started feeling her hand slipping out of Dan's arm. Gasping out for air, in a nervous matter she tried to stretch out her other arm towards her friend. In an instant she was being pulled upwards once again and into the car. The brunette had pulled her upper body towards him, and Runo felt his arms on her waist. The blunette tried to free her foot but Black and a couple of housemaids were preventing her from doing so.

"Shun drive!" Dan yelled at his friend. Runo felt his grip on her tighten for a moment, as she locked her arms around his neck, closing her eyes. The girl only felt as the car moved at great speed, her owl screeching, and her body being pulled downwards for a moment, before she felt her foot was free once again. She opened up her eyes and glanced down, only being able to see the glimpses of the orphanage being left behind. The blunette released a gasp of relief and slumped her head onto her friend's chest. Realizing the position she was in, the girl looked up and met Dan's gaze. He was still holding on to her waist and her arms were still around his neck. He let out a yelp, a red blush covering his cheeks as she felt her own cheeks flaring up as well.

"Dan please close the door, or the muggles down will be able to see us" Shun commented as if nothing had happened. The brunette scooted closer to the side, as he released Runo and she was able to jump over to the back seat, cheeks still tainted with a bit of pink. Once the girl was seated, Dan closed the door and sat more rigid than before.

"Thank you for getting me out of there" Runo said still embarrassed, but she still needed to say her thanks to her friends "If you hadn't come I don't know what I would do…"

"You're welcome" Dan commented, not looking at her and hand covering half of his face. Shun only nodded in acknowledgement as he continued to drive out in the sky. Then it hit Runo like a ton of bricks. The car was actually flying and not driving like a normal car.

"Wait a second, we're flying?!" The girl scooted over to the window and saw the little dots of light coming from the town below them "How is this possible?!"

"You're now realizing we're in a flying car?!" Dan looked at her as if she had grown two heads "Are you serious?! Not even the question as to why Shun is driving?!" The girl's eyes widened once again. The Slytherin was the one driving the car around. Before she could even ask another question the raven hair boy interrupted her.

"I would like to know first why you weren't able to answer our letters" He didn't move his eyes from the horizon as he spoke. Runo crossed her arms over her chest as she edged closer to her friends on her seat.

"I'll tell you and then you answer my questions" And the blunette began explaining the whole situation of the house elf as they continued to drove through the sky. She missed on purpose the parts of the constant cleaning in the house, and the bad treatment she received during the summer, and just focused on telling them about the strange house elf. She also told them about the strange warnings that he had given her during his stay. Neither one of her friends commented or said anything as they let her tell the tale of what happened the nights before. The car was still flying around the sky, but it started to clear out the stars and before Runo noticed the sun was appearing at the far end of the scenery. She also saw how the city was left behind little by little, being replaced by giant green meadows stretching one after the other.

"And that's why I didn't get your letters the whole summer, Aerogan had kept them from me" She finished, as she slumped in the seat in front of her. Dan had an annoyed look on his face while Shun only nodded in response to the whole story.

"If I remember correctly Aerogan is the house elf for the Prince family. Hydron didn't shut up about it the past year" Shun commented with a frown on his face. The blunette only made a face of disgust, now she knew why the house elf wasn't familiar to a well treat. If Hydron Prince was bad enough she couldn't imagine his whole family.

"I'm mad at the elf for stealing our letters, but I also pity him for working in that family" Dan said as he crossed his arms over his chest. The car now started descending more and more, and the girl could make out the outlines of a house between two patches of green land.

"Yeah no joke, if Hydron is bad I can expect from his parents to be even worse" The blunette commented, looking towards the house that they were approaching.

"You can say that again, if rumors are true Hydron's dad was actually a supporter of Naga back in the day, but he has denied it constantly" Swiftly the raven haired boy moved the steering wheel as the car landed softly on the patch of green land. Quickly the Slytherin turned off the car as Dan got out of it and offered his hand to help Runo get out as well. The girl took hold of the owl's cage with one hand and with the other she managed to exit the car.

Greeted with fresh air the girl sighed in delight and focused on the house in front of her. It seemed to be three stories high, with two chimneys popping up in the roof. It looked to be made mainly from wood with a creeper plant all over the walls, and windows framed the house all over, a couple of pots with orchids and sunflowers resting on them. Runo also noticed a little pond besides the house, plants and bushes all around the grass, blooming beautifully all around it.

"It's not much, but it's home" Dan was suddenly beside her with a happy grin. He was carrying her trunk as he motioned for her and Shun to follow him to the house.

"I think it's brilliant" Runo smiled happily as the trio approached the front door. The brunette turned to them and made a signal for them to be quiet as he opened the wooden door in front of him. The boy went inside, as the other two trailed behind him. The two boys went inside the house as nothing and began talking in whispers while the blunette took in everything she could see.

At entering from the left side, the living room was situated and from the end at the right you could make out the trails of the kitchen. The living room was cluttered with objects the girl didn't even know of, beside chairs and sofas all around a wooden table. Pictures were hung up all around the house, and the girl managed to recognize Dan in most of them. She stifled her laughter as she found one of her friend all muddy and playing with a frog on his hands. The fireplace was situated in the middle of the room, as if it was a cylinder and everything moved around it. Runo moved towards the living room, noticing a pair of needles sewing what seemed to be a scarf. At the end of the living room, the girl noticed a flight of stairs directing towards the roof.

"DAN KUSO!" A shriek coming from a woman's voice made Runo jump a little bit and take her out her trance. She quickly turned around and found her brunette friend being pulled by the ears by an older woman "YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T FIND OUT ABOUT YOU SNEAKING OUT YESTERDAY?! WELL YOU ARE IN TROUBLE YOUNG MAN!" Runo's eyes widened at the scene before her. Dan was trying to pull away from the grip on his hair and Shun looked uncomfortable. The woman holding him seemed to be in her mid thirties. She had brown short hair, reaching her shoulders and blazing honey eyes. She had a slender body and was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a white blouse and orange mid sleeves and a white apron over them.

"But Mom! We had to get Runo out of there, we were worried!" Dan tried protesting but the grip on his ear only tightened. Shun only moved away towards the blunette as the woman prevented the Gryffindor from speaking any further.

"AND YOU HAD TO TAKE YOUR FATHER'S CAR?! IF YOU GOT SPOTTED YOUR FATHER MIGHT LOSE HIS JOB YOUNG MAN!" She screamed some more as Dan only tried to get out her grip "I'M ALMOST SURE YOU GOT SHUN INVOLVED IN THIS TOO, DIDN'T YOU?!"

"What's happening?" Runo whispered to the Slytherin standing next to her with arms crossed over his chest. She kept on watching the scene unfolding in front of her, the woman was still screaming at Dan as he only tried to move away but failing miserably.

"The usual thing. Dan is getting scolded by his mother" Shun said with a little smirk on his lips as the blunette set her eyes on her brunette friend once again, kind of worried for his well being. Finally the woman gave Dan one last tug before she released him from his death grip. The boy let out a sigh of relief and moved closer towards his friends.

"As for your punishment you'll have to de-gnome the garden after breakfast" The woman only sighed and turned her attention towards Shun "I'm so sorry he got you involved in this Shun" the other boy only shook his head as if to say 'Don't worry about it'. Then she turned to the blunette and her eyes widened slightly. Runo now felt self-conscious about her well being, she was horribly dressed and she didn't even comb her hair when she met up with her friends.

"Oh Merlin!" The woman broke into a smile and practically ran straight at the blunette. Runo unsure of what to do just stood in place as Dan's mother approached her, hands in her mouth and seeing her with glistening eyes.

"Um hi" Runo started trying to fight away the nervousness "I'm Runo Misaki and I'm really sorry to get Dan in trouble" The girl bowed deeply. The woman in front of her just laughed and motioned the blunette to stand up again.

"Oh I know you're Runo, aside from the fact that Dan talks about you all the time" she giggled just as Dan screamed in the background, blood rushing to his cheeks "I'm Miyuki Kuso, and Dan's mother as well" Miyuki smiled kindly at her and then out of nowhere embraced her in a hug. The girl only stared blankly at the walls she had never in that situation before. Mrs. Kuso pulled back giving her another bright smile "And about getting my son in trouble, don't worry about it he does it all the time" Runo smiled back just as her brunette friend groaned in the background "Let's eat breakfast then!"

Mrs. Kuso motioned for the trio on to the kitchen, a delicious smell floating in the air. Runo then felt her stomach cry out. Remembering that she had eaten almost nothing the past three days, were making her hungrier than before. They entered the kitchen where at the center rested a dark wood table with four chairs on each side as a colorful tablecloth was draped over it. As the girl sat down next to Dan in the table she started to take in the whole thing. At the far corner there was a ton of kitchen cabinets, along with the stove and the sink. A counter was right next to it filled with plates and food in it. Dan's mother took out her wand, flicked it and causing the plates to move from the counter on to the table. As soon as the plates hit the wooden table, Dan started eating the food in it while Shun thanked his mother and started eating calmly.

Runo took a look at her plate and she felt mouth starting to water. She said her thanks to Dan's mother as she picked up a fork that was lying beside her plate and took a bite out of the scrambled eggs. Her lips curved up in a sweet smile as she ate the delicious food in front of her. After barely eating for three days, the blunette felt in heaven as she continued to eat her food. Once she finished eating, she smiled once again in gratitude. The girl was about to stand up to go wash her plate in the sink, when Mrs. Kuso stopped her from doing so.

"Would you like seconds Runo?" The woman continued to smile, as she brought another plate to Dan, and he started eating. The blunette shook her head.

"No thank you Mrs. Kuso, I'm full but it was really delicious!" Runo smiled brighter, just as the woman smiled back and flickered her wand once again, making the plate float towards the sink.

"They don't give you this kind of food back at your home?" Mrs. Kuso inquired. Without thinking Runo responded and immediately regretted doing so.

"Since I barely ate in the past days I would say yes" The blunette's eyes widened at the sentence she had just said and she would've slapped her hand on her mouth if it wasn't for the sudden revelation "I-I mean" Runo tried to think of an excuse to that but her actions were giving her away "I've been very busy that-t I've skipped some meals" The girl nodded to herself not noticing the looks Shun and Dan were giving each other.

"Oh" Miyuki had a frown on her face, and the girl knew she wasn't believing the things she had just said "Well you won't need to worry about it anore dear, I'll make sure you eat properly during your stay with us" The woman gave her another smile, as she patted her head and moved to the kitchen once more. The girl released a sigh of relief and a cough made her notice her two friends still sitting at the table.

"What?" The girl whispered, trying not to get the attention of Mrs. Kuso. Dan leaned in closer towards her, and Shun only looked between the two of them.

"Is it true? What you said about not eating?" He asked with concern laced in his voice. The blunette shook her head, and ignored his question. Suddenly a big crash was heard from upstairs along with a cursing voice. Runo looked up in surprise, hearing that someone was rapidly running down the stairs in frenzy.

"That must be dad…" Dan muttered as he watched un-amused by the whole scene. Out of nowhere a man with a black mop of hair appeared at the entrance of the kitchen. He looked like he had just jumped out of bed, still tying his red tie in place, putting on a dark blue suit and adjusting his glasses on his brown eyes. He passed the table without a glance and walked over to Mrs. Kuso, who in turn only sighed and tied the piece of clothing properly.

"I'll be coming late once again dear, apparently they haven't fixed the leak on the Department of Registration" Dan's father groaned in displeasure as he ruffled his hair. Miyuki gave him a reassuring smile and kissed him gently on his cheek. Dan only made a sound of disgust and turned away from the scene.

"Don't worry about it dear, I'll make a wonderful dinner for when you get home" The married couple only smiled at each other. The man gave his wife a final kiss on the lips and was about to leave the door before his wife stopped him. He looked back with confusion written on his face "Dear there's something your son needs to tell you about" Runo looked at her friend from the corner of her eye, noticing his nervous pose.

"Isn't Dan sleeping?" The man questioned and looked back at the kitchen table. His smile widened once he noticed his son on the kitchen table and moved towards it. "Hey kiddo I thought you and Shun were still sleeping" He ruffled his hair in an affectionate matter, completely not noticing Runo sitting on the chair beside him. The girl looked over to Shun, who only shook his head. "So what's this you have to tell me about?"

"Hey Dad…" The brunette boy only looked up to his father to give him a nervous grin "What mom want me to tell you is that…" He bit on his lower lip, his mother's murderous gaze on his back "Shun and I made the car work!" He had a mischievous smile on his face.

"What?! How did you do it?!" His father face filled with excitement and intrigue. Just as Dan was about to speak, Mrs. Kuso spoke up.

"Your son tricked Shun into driving the car last night! They flew to the center of London and back!" She said now more furious with the brunette boy than ever.

"Wait, you managed to make it fly?!" Dan's father ignored most of his wife's rambling, instead fascinated that his Ford Anglia had worked "I didn't know you could drive Shun!" He gave the raven hair boy a bright smile and turned to his son again, now a curious look on his face "But why did you drive all the way to London at night?"

"We had to help Runo out of that horrible place!" He protested as he looked back at his mother. His father's face grew in confusion, until his wife motioned to Runo, who had an incredulous look on her face. He jumped up in surprise, finally noticing the girl beside him.

"Hello sir, my name is Runo, Runo Misaki" She bowed and returned to her position once more after a moment of silence. Mr. Kuso had a look of shock on his face, and the girl thought that she had scared him for a second. He then released a laugh of joy and he looked like he was about to cry.

"You're Tatsuo's daughter!" His smile grew wider as he released another laugh "You're all grown up now!" He must have noticed the strange look Runo was giving him, because he laughed once again "I met you when you were just born! I'm Shinjiro Kuso, and I was a very good friend of your dad's when we were younger" He stretched his hand and the girl did the same, now much more happy. They shook hands as the man kept on talking "Dan told us about a Runo all the summer but I didn't think it was you! I'm so glad to see you are safe and sound!"

"Dad I told you it was Runo Misaki" Dan tried protesting but his father only ignored him and kept on shaking the girl's hand with excitement

"I would love to chat with you but I have work to do in the ministry!" The man let go of her hand, now in a better mood than before. He moved over to his son and ruffled his hair some more, and gave his wife another kiss on the lips "You're welcome to stay in our house for as long as you like! And Dan listen to your mother!" And with that the man walked out of the house and with a plop he disappeared into thin air.

"That was unexpected" The girl commented, smile still on her lips. Now knowing that Mr. Kuso had actually knew her father gave her a more reassuring feeling. The brunette boy only laughed awkwardly and then released a yelp of pain as his mother pinched his cheek.

"That was for trying to get out of trouble with you father" She said in a serious tone of voice, hen she pointed with her index finger towards the backyard "As punishment go de-gnome the garden!" The boy was about to protest but Mrs. Kuso only shot him a look that made him shut up. He stood up and without a glance, exited the house. Shun also stood up and offered Dan help, following right behind him. Then Dan's mother turned to Runo with an apologetic smile "Sorry you had to see that and I apologize for my husband's attitude, he gets very excited with news like this"

"Don't worry about it, I actually feel very at ease knowing that he knew my father" The girl said with a small smile and then her curious side perked up "But how did they meet?" Mrs. Kuso laughed sweetly.

"I'm not really sure myself you'll have to ask my husband when he comes back from work but if I'm correct they were both on Gryffindor and in the same year" The woman shrugged and motioned Runo to stand up. Hesitating a bit the girl stood up as Mrs. Kuso only nodded to herself "Come on I'll prepare you a bath upstairs and I can give you some of my clothes from when I was younger, just follow me" The girl was about to protest but Dan's mother only smiled, took her hand and led her up to the flight of stairs.

Runo suddenly felt embarrassed by the clothes she was wearing and the state she was in, and with reddish cheeks she looked around the upper floor of her friend's home. The second floor was the same size as the lower one, with paintings and carvings on the walls everywhere. A door was right next to the stairs, another one at the far end left corner and the last one was on the right side of the room. Miyuki told her to wait at the door on the right as she quickly entered the room at the far corner. Runo noticed the other set of stairs where placed at the center of the room and they led to some sort of attic. All around the room there were also potted plants that released sweet aromas.

"I hope you like these clothes, they're not much but you can use them if you want to" Mrs. Kuso came back with a smile as she handed the blunette a set of clothes and opened the door. Inside the room was the bathroom, with a bathtub placed at the end of the room, a large mirror spread across the left wall, a toilet and a white sink next to each other, a red matt at the center and towels from different colors hanging on to the ceiling. Runo watched in awe the bathroom as Mrs. Kuso started off the bath and ushered the girl inside.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything dear!" The woman smiled once again and quickly closed the door, leaving her alone in the room. Without wasting more time Runo undressed and entered the bathtub, feeling completely at ease. The girl's lips moved up in a warm smile as she remembered being rescued from the orphanage. So much had happened in so little time and she honestly didn't have time to process it well, but now she felt eternally grateful for her friends. With a beaming smile the girl washed herself and before she knew it she was trying on the clothes Miyuki had given her. There were, a pair of light blue jeans, what seemed to be an orange t-shirt, a yellow knitted cardigan and a pair of brown ankle boots. Runo turned around once and twice, looking at her reflection in the mirror, her cheeks warming up a bit. These were definitely the nicest clothes she had worn in her life, a little bit baggy on the sides but they felt great. Quickly she tied her damp hair in her usual pigtails, hung the towel she had used on the ceiling and exited the bathroom, instantly heading towards the kitchen with her old clothes in hand.

"You look so lovely Runo!" Miyuki squealed once the girl reached the kitchen. The woman patted her right cheek in a friendly manner and smiled once more. Mrs. Kuso swiftly picked up her old clothes "I'll wash them for you and give them back when I'm done"

"Is it really okay to use this clothes?" The blunette asked out of the blue. Her friend's mother turned to her with an incredulous look on her face, the girl instantly trying to justify her previous question "It's just that, they are really nice and I don't want to bother you anymore than I have"

"Oh sweetie" The woman left her old clothes by the counter as she approached her in a motherly manner and knelt in front of her "You are not a bother to use, not at all" She laughed and clasped her hands in front of her "We are glad that you are staying here with us and we don't mind having you as a guest! You can stay here all the time you'd like, we'd be delighted to have you that's for sure!" She patted her cheek once again and gave her another smile before she finally stood up. The back door opening made the two of them look up. Dan stood with a defeated look on his face as Shun only stood beside him, arms crossed over his chest. The brunette boy had some mud stains over his jeans and face whereas the raven hired one looked perfectly clean and unfazed by the situation.

"We finished with the garden" The Gryffindor said between puffs of breath "The gnomes were harsher than normal" The boy scratched his hair in a nervous manner, arms and legs sore from the activity.

"Well I hope this helped you learned your lesson young man" Miyuki said with a huff as she turned to kitchen once again, stirring something on the stove. Runo watched as her two friends started muttering something between each other until they finally noticed her. Shun only sent his friend a smirk as the brunette boy watched in awe the outfit the girl was wearing. Realizing he was staring so much his cheeks flared up and he covered them with the back of his hand, the blunette only looking confused at the action. She looked down at her clothes thinking there was something wrong with them.

"You look good in those…" Dan muttered under his breath, looking away and passing her, heading towards the stairs. Runo only looked back in confusion as the boy then stuck out his tongue at her in a playing matter. The girl's attitude changed in an instant as she stuck out her tongue at her friend once again and he would return it with some other silly pose.

"You're so going to get it Kuso" The girl whispered under her breath as she followed her friend to the stairs making even more silly poses at him, Shun only walking behind her a teasing little smile forming on his lips.

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 **HEY GUYS! Sorry for not being able to upload this chapter in New Year's Eve but it is between the first days of January so no worries! Just a heads up, I'm starting school once again in Monday so after that I won't be able to upload as faster as I did last month, so I'm not sure when I will be able to upload the next chapter, it could be in two weeks or I could take another month to upload it. Sadly, it depends on whether or not I have too much work to do or not.**

 **Now about the chapter, I have to say that I was pretty giddy writing the whole interaction between Runo and Dan's family. They're the sweetest bunch in this story tbh haha and those wondering how Shun could drive and why he was at Dan's house, on the next chapter it is explained. My favorite part to write about the chapter was the whole car scene, it was just too good for my shipper heart.**

 **Anyways hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for all of your support and reviews, it means a lot to and it pleases me that you are also enjoying this story as much as I do. If you have any comment you can leave a review or PM me, whichever works best for you! Have a great week!**


	9. Second Year: Flourish and Botts

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- Flourish and Botts**

Days passed after Runo Misaki arrived at the Kuso household. All of them excited for her stay would always make sure she felt at home, and did she. The girl couldn't remember a time she was happier staying at a different house than at the Wool's Orphanage. With Mr. Kuso's constant questions for her about the muggle world and stories from when he was younger alongside her father, and Mrs. Kuso's constant thoughtfulness towards her, giving her clothes to wear and always making sure that she was well fed and cleaned. She was even given the room on the third floor, since she couldn't stay at Dan's room for the nights. They accommodated it for her needs and now she felt eternally grateful towards them. The same could be said from her two friends. Dan would always cheer her up in his usual way and Shun would make sure she didn't get too uncomfortable inside the house. As well, most of the nights the three friends would sneak out in the backyard to watch the starry night, talk and even play some Quidditch.

From what they had talked during previous nights, Shun was actually staying in the Kuso household until the Hogwarts term started once again. Apparently his grandfather had some business to attend to back in the magical world and he wouldn't be able to sent him off properly to London, so Dan offered him to stay at his house. He also explained to the girl that the only reason he knew how to drive was because his grandfather constantly pestered him to learn, since his sight wasn't that good and he would crash constantly on the road. According to the Slytherin he also worked for the Ministry of Magic but in a completely different department from Mr. Kuso.

Her two friends had to explain to her with specific detail about the Ministry of Magic, since she felt completely lost at the mention of the system. A Ministry of Magic apparently is the primary governing body of the magical community in many countries. Headed by a Minister of Magic, a Ministry of Magic is responsible for regulating and enforcing laws for the magical community, as well as keeping said community hidden from the muggle world. As for Great Britain's Ministry of Magic, it was divided into different departments; Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Department of International Magical Corporation, Department of Magical Transportation, Department of Magical Games and Sports and the Department of Mysteries. Apparently Shun's grandfather worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, at the Auror's Office and as for Dan's father he worked in the same department but he was in the Improper Use of Magic Office. Both of her friends didn't get much into detail at what their relatives did during their work, but according to the brunette boy, the job of Shun's grandfather was way cooler than his dad's.

It was a warm morning and all of the residents of the Kuso household were currently eating breakfast at the kitchen. Mrs. Kuso was still scrambling eggs on the pan, along with some slices of toast and fruit. Whereas Mr. Kuso was still talking lively to Runo about the time when he and her father had found a secret passage between the school and Hogsmeade. The girl laughed constantly at the jokes the man would say and look in amazement knowing more about the teenage years of her father. Dan was still devouring pancakes while Shun would only remind him to breathe once in a while.

"And then suddenly we had gotten into Honeydukes!" Mr. Kuso lively explained to the girl by his side "After that we bought many candy with our allowance and went our way back to Hogwarts before we could get caught" He laughed remembering with detail the moment passing through his mind. Runo smiled even brighter at another tale from the man. Suddenly his face lit up once again and asked with curiosity "Are you on the Quidditch team?"

"No" The girl suddenly felt taken a back by the question as Dan's father frowned at her with curiosity.

"Are you sure?" He asked once again as he got closer to her face, as if inspecting her to know if she was lying or not about the matter. The girl shook her head as the man slumped back in his chair with a little disappointment.

"She still can't be on the team dad" Dan said as he finished with his tower of pancakes and sighed with satisfaction "Remember, it is until second year that we are able to apply" His face then turned into one full of glee and determination "And this year there is the position open for a Beater and a Seeker in Gryffindor" He was almost jumping off his seat in glee.

"And you're applying?" Runo asked incredulous. Dan shot her a look and stick out his tongue at her, she responding the same way and then taking a piece of fruit to her mouth.

"If I have a chance of becoming a Beater for Gryffindor I'm going to take it!" He was about to jump from his seat to the table but his mother only shot him a glance and the boy thought better about it. His father then turned his disappointed expression into one full of happiness. Runo was sure he had more mood swings than the average teenager.

"You're applying for Beater?" He inquired a grin forming on his lips. The brunette proudly nodded and his dad ruffled his hair "Way to go son! I wish you the best of luck in it!" Then his eyes seemed to gleam with mischief. From that moment the blunette knew the resemblance of Dan with his father was uncanny. He turned to her and then suggested: "Why don't you apply for the Seeker position Runo?"

"Me?" The girl pointed towards herself but the idea seemed really dumb to her. She faked a laugh and shook her head in denial "No I'm terrible at Quidditch"

"She's lying dad" Dan said with a mischievous grin on his lips "Every time we have played Quidditch here, she's the fastest of the three" He explained "She and Shun go head to toe and you know how fast he can be" His father nodded as they both kept looking at her. The girl turned to Shun for help but her friend only shrugged and continued eating as if saying 'It's your problem'. Then a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Hey don't scare her like that" Mrs. Kuso sent her husband and son a glare until they backed off, apologizing and then turned to the girl with an apologetic smile "They get really excited when it comes to Quidditch"

"But you should really think about it Runo" Mr. Kuso added cautiously "Your father was a great Chaser back in the days and thanks to him we won the Quidditch Cup" That piqued Runo's interest and turned to the man. He grinned and started explaining "Your father and me, along with Shun's father, Haurto and another friend" He coughed back a little and continued "We were in the Quidditch team when we were in Hogwarts, I was the Keeper, Tatsuo a Chaser and Haurto a Beater" His lips formed into a sad smile but then he sighed and turned to her with a more lively expression "You should try it, there are only trials after all"

The girl smiled now her interest for Gryffindor's Quidditch team increased. Dan had been commenting her about the trials for their house for some time now and she knew how much her friend wanted to be part of the team, but she never felt that attracted to it. It was true that whenever she played Quidditch with them, she would feel an incredible amount of adrenaline and determination inside her. The brunette had suggested her to try out for the team in the past as well, but she would dismiss his claims and keep on playing. Now she felt even more attracted to the idea of belonging to the Quidditch team of her house.

Suddenly a crash was heard from the nearby window. A brown owl flew inside the house and crashed down on the kitchen table, almost sending the plates to the floor. The blunette watched in shock as the owl stood now on its two legs and presented a letter to her. Hesitantly she picked it, as the animal now turned to Dan and Shun and did the same. Both of her friends picked their respective letters, not too shocked as she was, and opened them with ease.

"Don't worry about Topaz, he does it all the time" Dan commented as he handed the owl a slice of apple he had on his plate. The owl accepted it gratefully and started nibbling at the fruit. The girl only rolled her eyes and inspected the letter, noticing it was from Hogwarts she opened it right away. "It's the new school supplies mom" The brunette boy said as he handed Mrs. Kuso the list of the new material for their second year.

"There sure are a lot of Defense Against the Dark Arts books" Miyuki commented with a worrying face…" Then she released an exited yelp "Your new teacher is Klaus Knight?!" She then proceeded to jump in excitement.

"Who?" Runo whispered to Dan as they both eyed Mrs. Kuso still squealing in delight and Mr. Kuso trying to calm her down, a jealous frown forming on his face.

"It's a famous wizarding celebrity" The boy watched helplessly at his parents "He has a tons of autobiography books, telling how he did heroic acts all around the world" he then rolled his eyes in an annoying manner "Mom is crazy for him, and as you can see dad is not that happy about it"

"But isn't Professor Drago suppose to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?" The blunette inquired. The brunette boy shrugged and thought about the question for some time until the Slytherin piped in the conversation.

"Maybe Klaus Knight is going to be a substitute for this year only" The raven haired boy suggested as the other two nodded at the thought. Runo looked at the list once again and yes like Mrs. Kuso had said they were around seven books just for that subject alone, and he was the author for all of them.

"Then it's decided!" Mrs. Kuso's voice rang inside the kitchen, making the teens turned to look at her "Today we're going to Diagon Alley!" She cheered once again as her husband only gave her a weak grin. Runo's lips turned up into a grin as well as her friends. They were all practically pulled out of their chairs by Miyuki to get changed and dressed properly for the trip. Within the hour everyone was gathered around the chimney with their respective things and letters.

Runo was still tying her hair into a low ponytail as she stood next to Dan. They were all wearing their respective school coats, each with the crest of their own house, over their clothes. Both of Dan's parents were dressed quite vigorously, Mrs. Kuso had a long red coat, underneath a pair of blue jeans, a white blouse and a pair of black ballerinas, and Mr. Kuso had his usual red wine suit and a black tie.

"Okay now make sure you don't forget anything, all right?" Mrs. Kuso asked loud and clear as she picked up a little pot that was resting beside a family photo on the chimney. Then she turned to the blunette extending the pot towards her. Runo only looked confused as she saw only ashes on the inside of the pot.

"Mom she has never traveled with Floo Powder before" Dan commented beside her. His mother's eyes widened but smiled nonetheless.

"Oh well, then let me explain it to you dear" The woman said as she gestured to her son to move forward. He did as told and stood next to her "Now it's very simple to travel through Floo Powder Runo, you only have to do as Dan does it, alright?" The girl nodded and watched in concentration at her friend. The brunette not amused grabbed a handful of the ashes inside the pot and entered the small chimney. He turned to them, extended his hand and breathed out.

"Diagon Alley!" Dan threw the powder onto the chimney and suddenly he was engulfed in green flames. Before Runo could even react he was gone and the flames had gone out.

"See it's not that hard!" Mrs. Kuso said lively and took the girl's hand before she could protest. She walked her inside the chimney and extended the pot towards her "Just take a handful of the powder, throw it in the chimney and be very clear to where you want to go" She instructed the blunette with a serious tone of voice. The girl nodded once again as she did the same as her friend. She grabbed a handful of the powder inside the pot and waited until Mrs. Kuso had taken some steps back. Runo breathed in and out, she could do this.

"Diagonalley!" She threw the powder and instantly saw the green flames engulfing her. She didn't feel hot at all from the source and she could no longer see the Kuso living room. It felt quite strange as the flames kept on moving around her, a tight feeling in her stomach starting to appear. In a flash the girl was thrown into the ground and she felt her body collide with a hard wood floor. The blunette coughed as she saw the cloud of dust appearing in her line of vision, making her unable to breathe for a moment. She sat up and adjusted her eyes to the sight in front of her.

It seemed like she had already landed in a place, but she was sure this wasn't one of the shops at Diagon Alley. She was inside what looked to be a store, full of mysterious artifacts and body parts of mythical creatures. Runo stood up, dusting her clothes off as she started to examine the enormous amount of shelves that the building had. She was barely able to see anything with the lack of light inside the store, so she walked carefully from one side to the other. 'Where am I?' her mind questioned as she kept looking. She could make out the silhouette of evil-looking masks staring down at her from the stone-walls and spiky ornaments hanging from the ceiling. Then she heard the jingling of the bell from the front door, and footsteps coming from the other side of the room. Thinking quickly, the girl discovered a dusty old large cabinet, opened the door and quickly hid inside. The sound of the door being opened was heard throughout the store, as her heartbeat quickened. Footsteps coming inside the building and the door closing echoed inside the small room. Runo placed a hand over her mouth, to prevent breathing too hard or being found out in such a place.

"Ah Mr. Prince what can I do for you?" An old elderly voice asked from the other side of the room. Another set of footsteps until silence was met.

"Hello Mr. Dharak" A deep rough voice said with disinterest. The blunette turned to the door of the cabinet, with a small opening. Carefully the girl approached it and watched the people just a few meters away from her. Around the counter was an grey haired old man, who looked like he was still on his pajamas, grease smeared all over his hair and a wicked grin showing off his yellow teeth. In front of him stood a taller broad man with a scowl all over his face. His hair was pure white along with his beard, a tan skin, and he was wearing a nice blue suit and over it a red cape. And next to him stood a known Slytherin student. 'That's Hydron's father' Runo thought with displeasure as she watched the blond boy looking all around the store as his father placed some articles over the counter.

"I'm here to sell these. With the Ministry investigating homes in search for dark objects, I fear that I can be the next target" The man commented dryly as the older man examined the objects carefully.

"I'll gladly take this objects off your hands Mr. Prince" He then shoved the objects into his hands and placed them under the counter "But I'm sure you might want to buy something from my store, wouldn't you?" He asked while watching Hydron looking at the masks from the ceiling.

"Hydron stop that" His father commanded and the boy with frantic eyes returned to his side. The man shoot him an angry look and turned to the owner "I'll just take the money for the objects I sold you and that will be all" He said dryly. The owner of the shop didn't comment anything else and gave the man the money for the sell. Then the Prince family thanked the man and walked towards the exit of the shop as Mr. Dharak followed behind them, making Runo unable to see them.

"Answer me another question Mr. Prince?" The old man asked with curiosity. The blunette pressed her ear closer to the door wanting to hear the question. A silence passed until the old man spoke once again "Is it true all of the rumors I've been hearing? That something bad is brewing at Hogwarts?" The girl's eyes widened as she awaited the answer.

"I'll just tell you this Mr. Dharak" Hydron's father stated, clearly upset by the question "Stick to your own business" Was the last thing the girl heard and the sounds of footsteps fading away. The door was closed with a slam and an angry huff was released from the owner of the shop as he walked in fast strides to the other side of the room.

"Damn that Zenoheald Prince! I'm sure he has bigger and darker objects back at his mansion! He's just hiding them from me!" He started rambling, Runo only hearing his voice getting quieter. Another door was slammed and then silence reigned inside the shop once again. Carefully the girl opened the cabinet door, not making any sound as she hopped off the furniture. Catching her breath, Runo walked quietly but in a hurry towards the door, wanting to get out of the place. The girl opened the door, the bells jingling once again, but she dashed out of the shop and into an empty street with a sign indicating she was in 'Knockturn Alley'.

Everywhere she looked, the girl found similar stores to the one she had just visited. She could feel several people looking at her with strange eyes as she walked from one building to another in a hurry. Several men where also watching her but with mischievous eyes, and the girl could feel fear rising in her system. A hand was clasped on her shoulder and as if on instinct the girl took out her wand from her jeans and pointed it at the other person.

"I didn't know you where this scared Runo, I apologize" Haos Tigrerra was standing in front of her with an apologetic smile and the girl could feel her heart filling with relief. She let out a puff of air and bowed down in apology to her teacher.

"I'm so sorry Tigrerra! It's just that-" The girl started to apologize but stopped once she heard a laugh erupting from the teacher's mouth.

"Oh don't worry about it Runo" The woman waved her off. The blunette smiled at seeing her favorite teacher once more in front of her "But do tell me, how did you end up here in Knocturn Alley?" And the girl explained to her about the whole mess with the Floo Powder, Tigrerra looking at her with amused eyes "Alright then, let's get you to Diagon Alley, this is no place for wizards like you" And with that the Transfiguration Professor walked by her side and led her through a series of alleys and streets to get to the so famous Diagon Alley. The woman asked her about her summer, and Runo felt bad lying to her about her vacation but she tried to ease away the guilt.

"Anyways why were you back there, in that creepy old alley?" The blunette asked with curiosity as they kept on walking a series of unknown streets. The woman only smiled down at her.

"I had some business to run down there, that place really gives me the creeps" She explained with a nervous smile, that the girl couldn't help but to laugh. Then they took another turn and Runo was met with a knowing sight.

Rows and rows of lively and colorful shops were placed at each side of the alley, each one flooded with wizards shopping or talking excitedly to one another. The blunete released a sigh of relief as she and her professor walked through the street, looking for a pair of familiar faces. Runo watched in awe at the new merchandise that the shops were offering, each product more exciting and fun than the other ones. Then the calling of her name pulled her back from her thoughts. The blunette instantly looked up and was met with the gaze of her red haired friend, calling out to her in excitement a few meters away from her. The girl didn't hesitate as she ran over to her and engulfed her in a hug.

"Alice!" She called out to her and they both laughed as they hugged. They pulled back both of them with big smiles on their faces and hugged once again.

"Runo! I was so worried about you!" Alice exclaimed as she pulled back from the hug. She was still the same, the blunette noticed, but the only difference was that her hair was pulled in a low bun. The red head was wearing her Ravenclaw cloak over her clothes as well, and was carrying some bags at her side.

"Long time no see" Runo commented as the Transfiguration Professor got to her side once more. She merrily greeted the red head girl and then turned to the blunette with an apologetic smile.

"Well you already found someone familiar, I'll take my leave here" She bowed down and turned to the girls with another smile "Take care of yourselves girls, I'll see you back at Hogwarts. Oh and Runo?" The woman asked kindly as the girl turned towards her "I'll give you your present once we get back" She winked and with that, Tigrerra turned and walked further into the crowd of people, eventually disappearing in it. Runo waved a goodbye to her until she was out of her sight.

"Now you have some explaining to do" Alice said as she crossed her arms over her chest "Why didn't you respond any of my letters? I send Dan and Shun to check up on you back at the orphanage, did something happen?"

"Right…" Runo turned to her friend with a small smile as she started scratching the surface of the scar "Well you see it's a really long story" She was cut off her sentence once more as her name was being called out again. The girl turned but her body collided with another one.

"You're safe! We were really worried Runo!" Mrs. Kuso said with relief as she hugged the blunette. The girl could almost feel the guiltiness starting to wash over her body. With reddish cheeks at the sudden contact, the blunette pulled back and bowed in front of the woman before she could speak.

"I'm really sorry! I misspelled the place and ended up on a completely different alley" Runo apologized and stood back once again. Miyuki was now smiling at her and patted her head affectionately.

"Oh there's no need to apologize for that dear! We were worried but you're safe now, that's what matters!" She brightly smiled and then turned to go inside the store with her husband following behind her. Then the blunette felt a flick on her forehead. She looked up and was met with Dan's annoyed gaze.

"Oi what's up with that Kuso!" Runo argued with the brunette. Shun was also standing behind him, but ignored the interaction as he moved to greet the red head.

"For making us worry, idiot!" The brunette argued back, now inching forward but the girl paid it no mind.

"Well you made a terrible example on showing me how the Floo Powder works!" Runo edged on closer, frustration now taking over and hands clenching at her sides.

"It's not my fault idiots like you don't understand it!" Dan said back, louder and more frustrated than before.

"You're the idiot, idiot!" The blunette fought back, with a louder voice and edging closer to her friend.

"No, you are!"

"No, YOU ARE!"

"DO NOT!"

"DO TOO!"

"Guys!" Shun's voice snapped them back to reality. Runo mumbled something under her breath as she moved away from Dan, not noticing the blush that was forming on her friend's cheeks by their proximity. The Slytherin had a bored look on his face as he opened the door for their group to go inside the store. Alice thanked him and entered with ease, as Runo and Dan entered still mumbling arguments under their breaths.

The blunette looked up and was meet with the sight of rows and rows of books, pilled up on to each other, making large columns from one side to the other. She tried to take out her list of things but with the large crowd of people that was inside 'Flourish and Botts' she was unable to do so. Dan walked past her, and motioned everyone to follow him to get inside of the crowd. No one argued as they followed the brunette into the mass of people. Most of them were middle-aged women, all whispering to each other with dazzling smiles on their lips.

The group got to the Kuso couple, whom were standing pretty close to what everyone was looking at. Runo noticed that Mr. Kuso had a forced smile on his face, annoyance clearly evident, while Mrs. Kuso had the brightest smile and looked like she was flowing with excitement. Then suddenly squeals and exited yells came from the crowd in the shop as someone appeared from the back rows of books and approached an old wooden desk. Runo wasn't able to see quite well, the women squealing once again. The click of a photograph being taken also made way to her ears.

"Ladies and gentleman, the one and only Klaus Knight!" Clapping hands and excited squeals erupted all over the little store, just as a couple of footsteps were heard by the blunette.

"I am sad to announce that my autobiography 'A Day In My Life' would be postponed until further notice" The voice of a young man spoke as some groans and whining was heard from the crowd of women. The girl tried to peek in between the bodies of the crowd but she only caught glimpses at what seemed to be a man with a very stylish set of clothes. "Do not fret my fans, the reason for this is that I'll be taking the position of teacher in Defense Against the Dark Arts at the school of Hogwarts this year, since the current professor is on a trip and won't be back until next year" Runo's face turned to a frown as she heard the last part. Professor Drago was away on a trip?

"Can you see anything?" She asked at no one in particular. At her side Alice was about to say something but then the blunette was pushed from the back, making her trip and fall just as she got to the front row. The girl continued to hear even more squealing as she was unable to get up from her position. Out of nowhere silence was all around the shop as the people who were almost crushing her parted away. Runo was about to ask what was even happening when she felt someone hosting her up from her upper arm. Once again the room was filled with screams of excitement as she was pulled up and was standing once again. The girl to look up at her savior only to see a man in his mid twenties, with long, silky silver hair and dazzling blue eyes. He was wearing an extravagant platinum suit with a royal blue cape to go with it. The girl wasn't sure how to react at the yelling from the crowd inside the store.

"Young lady, are you alright?" The man asked with a thick accent and kindness as he took hold of her hand and kissed it gently. The girl felt her cheeks light up at such an act. She was about to remove her hand from his grip but then his eye's widened for a moment. He straightened up and inspected her arm, a knowing look appearing on his face.

"Runo Misaki!" He exclaimed and clasped his hands with hers. The crowd went from a shrieking mess to one full of whispers and murmurs. 'Oh great' Runo thought as the man was looking at her in delight. "It's such an honor to meet you, young lady!" The man bowed in front of her as the girl's eyes grew in confusion. Suddenly the man stood up again and brought her body closer to his. Runo's eyes widened, her cheeks reddening even more just as a blinding light appeared in front of her. "Oh it'll be delightful to have that picture on the front page of the Daily Prophet!" The man exclaimed once more, just as the blunette was rubbing her eyes, trying to regain her sight once again.

"When Runo Misaki entered Flourish and Botts this morning she never would've guessed she'd leave with the set of all of my works for free" Before Runo could even register what was happening, she felt a load of books being placed in her arms "Signed and Deluxe Edition!" More cheers around the crowd, and the girl was honestly getting annoyed by the atmosphere around the store. "Off you go young lady, I'll see you when the term starts at Hogwarts!" He gave her a pat in the back as the blunette was sent back into the crowd.

Runo pushed people from one side to another as she got to the entrance of the store being able to catch her breath after such odd interaction. She dumped the books onto the floor frustrated. The girl fanned her face, trying to vanish the red in her cheeks. The man had a terrible attitude that was true, but she had to admit that he was pretty good looking after all.

"Runo Misaki" A voice with disdain called out her name "Can't even enter a bookshop without making a scene, can you?" The blunette turned and right in front of her was standing Hydron Prince with a smug grin on his face.

"Hydron Prince, I recognized your foul stench when I entered the shop" Runo argued back a frown already appearing on her face. She really wasn't in the mood to be talking with spoiled brats, especially him.

"What do you want Hydron?" Dan's voice asked in annoyance. The brunette was suddenly by her side, face more annoyed and frustrated than before as he glared at the blond in front of them. Alice and Shun also made their way towards them, each holding a black cauldron where they placed their purchased books.

"Can't defend yourself, Misaki?" Hydron asked smugly as he moved closer to her "But look you got yourself a boyfriend" He smirked and just as he was about to continue, Dan's father got beside them.

"Kids what are you still doing here? It's way too crowded, let's go outside" Mrs. Kuso announced as he got to their side, annoyance clearly on his face as he sent looks to his wife waiting in line for Klaus Knight.

"Well, well, well Shnjiro Kuso" The voice of an older man said with mischief. Runo looked up recognizing the voice as the one from Burgin and Burkes. Behind Hydron there stood his father.

"Zenoheald Prince" Mr. Kuso nodded coldly at the man, clearly wanting to avoid him as best as he could.

"I hear your department has been very busy lately" Mr. Prince continued, his sneer widening "I hope the Ministry is giving you a raise for all your work" He took a look at Dan and him before adding "Seems like they haven't" Zenoheald Prince commented with a sly smile on his lips. The older man turned his eyes to her and Runo could feel some shivers going down her spine.

"Runo Misaki" He extended his hand to shake it and the girl hesitantly took it "Zenoheald Prince, we meet at last" Then the man out of nowhere took her upper hand, and examined her known scar. The girl released a gasp at the sudden action but said nothing. "I hope you don't mind" Prince started explaining, as he continued to look at it "But your scar is legend, and even more the wizard who gave it to you" Runo's face turned into a scowl as she freed her arm from his grip.

"Naga was nothing more than a murderer" She said with disdain. The man now looked amused at the comment she had just made. She took some steps back not wanting to interact with this man anymore. Mr. Kuso instantly got in front of her, an evident glare on his face.

"You must be very brave to speak his name so freely" Zenoheald commented and then shared a smirk with his son "Or very foolish"

"It's a shame the Minister isn't here to hear you babble on about He Who Shall Not Be Named" Shinjiro said, his hands forming into fists at the blond man's comment "I'm sure your lie of being under the Imperius Curse would be evident by now" Zenoheald's head whipped fast enough to send a glare at Dan's father.

"You are a disgrace to the name of a wizard Kuso" He muttered darkly.

"We have very different ideas of what a disgrace to the name of a wizard is Prince" Mr. Kuso said without missing a beat.

"Clearly" Zenoheald scanned the girl's group of friends as his eyes settled on Alice, expression full of disgust. Alice flinched in an instant just as the blunette's frown was full of confusion "The company you keep, and I thought your family couldn't sink any lower-" Before he could continue, Shinjiro had already lunged himself at the man, punching him right at the jaw, a cracking sound evident around the shop. Dozens of books went flying all around as the crowd at the front of the shop shrieked as the two men continued to fight each other.

"Get him dad!" Dan shouted amongst the crowd, rooting for his father every now and then as Mrs. Kuso tried to stop her husband from fighting any further. The manager of the shop was also trying to break up the fight but was clearly failing. Then out of nowhere the men parted, floating away from each other and placed away from one another. Klaus Knight had a proud smile as he tucked away his wand inside his robes, the crowd of women already forming around him. Runo and her friends went straight away towards Mr. Kuso, which had a cut lip, some blood coming out of him as Mrs. Kuso scolded him for his behavior. Zenoheald had a swollen eye and a dark bruise on his jaw, as he glared at the man and walked angrily towards them, eyes settling on Shun.

"The same goes for you Kazami, you should learn more from your grandfather" He growled in anger "You only bring disgrace to your family's wizard name, you should choose a more suited company than them." He said with a smirk as he handed him one of Knight's heavy books onto his cauldron. Runo was about to interfere in the conversation but the raven haired boy stopped her before she could open her mouth.

"I already have" Shun was glaring at the man, hard enough that sent chills down the girl's spine. Zenoheald looked offended as he turned away from them, both him and his son leaving the store, completely furious. The manager was now basically pushing their group of the store and once they were outside, he slammed the door closed and locked it. Runo sent him a glare before she turned back to her friends.

"A fine example for Dan dear…brawling in public" Mrs. Kuso let out an exasperated sigh as she kept on inspecting her husband's lip.

"I think it was awesome" The brunette grinned widely, his father sending him a grin as well, just as his mother released a frustrated yell. Runo couldn't help to smile at the interaction, a familiar tug appearing on her stomach. She turned and her eyes focused on Shun. He was still looking towards where Hydron and his father had left and curiosity crept on her mind.

"What happened between your grandfather and him?" She asked quietly. The boy only sighed, not looking back at her.

"My grandfather has been working on the Ministry for years as Head Auror, and he has the same mentality as him that purebloods are superior than muggleborns." He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest "Him and Zenoheald have been acquaintances for a long time and he knows I don't agree with them since my mother was a muggleborn."

Runo only nodded after he finished talking, taking the silence as a sign he had finished. She had to agree with him, she found it absurd how someone could discriminate another person just because their parents weren't magical born. It made no sense to her how so many wizards where that narrow-minded.

"Well I better meet with my grandfather now, it's getting late" Alice said with a kind smile as she waved goodbye, walking away from her group of friends. The blunette could notice that the red head had something on her mind, something was bothering her, but she didn't ask as she watched her form disappearing inside the crowd.

"We better get back home as well, let's go kids" Shinjiro said with a bright smile as everyone walked towards the familiar pub 'The Leaky Cauldron' were according to Dan they would take the Floo Network once again to return to his house. Runo tried not make a face, remembering the bad experience she had just lived. The brunette continued to tease her while Shun would make a teasing remark every now and then making her hate the Floo Powder even more. She confirmed her disliking for the system once again as she used it and ended up on Kuso household, falling down on the carpet head on. Her friends didn't stop teasing her for days.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I managed to upload this new chapter in a month like I promised, yay for me! I think for the next chapters it's probably going to be the same, I'll update the story once a month, so for those who don't like waiting to long, sorry!**

 **As for the chapter I guess if you have already seen or read the HP books you'll know that Klaus Knight will be the counterpart for Gilderoy Lockhart hehe but I'll make changes to the character since I have another plans for Klaus for the future in the story. Also Zenoheald will be the conterpart for Lucius Malfoy and for that I think I'll leave it as it is, since I think Zenoheald is a worse father than Lucius.**

 **Another thing, if you've noticed the change in the cover a round of applauses to you! I actually managed to design the Brawlers wands and draw them in my spare time, I hope you like them and I'll leave the description of their respective wands here (From left to right will be listed like in the picture guys, the first one from the left is Shun's). If you can't see the image very well you can PM me if you want and I'll pass it to you! Anyways, I hope you guys liked the new chapter, thanks for the support and if you have any comment or review let me know! Have a great week!**

* * *

WANDS:

 **\- Shun Kazami:**

Elm Wood / Dragon Heartstring core / 14 1/2 inches in length

 **\- Alice Gehabic:**

Cedar Wood / Unicorn Tair Hair core / 13 inches in length

 **\- Dan Kuso:**

Red Oak Wood / Dragon Heartstring core / 14 inches in length

 **\- Runo Misaki:**

Holly Wood / Phoenix Feather core / 12 1/2 inches in length

 **\- Marucho Maruka:**

Hornbeam Wood / Thestral Hair core / 11 inches in length

 **\- Julie Makimoto:**

Sycamore Wood / Unicorn Tail Hair / 11 1/2 inches in length


	10. Second Year: An Addition

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- An Addition**

The sound of the chimney blowing off and dark clouds appearing at the top of it resonated through the whole Platform 9 ¾ of the King's Cross Station. Multiple families gathered around the doors of the Hogwarts Express to wish their best and bid their goodbyes to their respective young students. More people crowded around the train as they watched their young relatives entering the train.

"Please be safe Dan!" Mrs. Kuso was still hugging her son, eyes starting to water "Don't get in too much trouble" She had a sad smile on her lips. Runo and Shun stood next to Mr. Kuso as they watched the scene.

"Okay mom, I promise!" Dan said in an annoyed tone of voice, trying to get away from his mother's embrace. Miyuki let him go and kissed the top of his head as the boy groaned in defiance.

"Oh c'mon Dan" Mr. Kuso now joined their side, a joyful smile on his face "Just listen to your mother and be safe" He ruffled his son's hair as it became messier than it was before. Dan tried to make his father stop but to no avail. The blunette watched their interactions with a smile. She was sure she was going to miss spending the summer at their house.

Days had flown by and when the three Hogwarts students noticed, September 1st was just around the corner. Another whistle from the train was heard and more people crowded the train. Runo and Shun picked up their respective trunks as they approached the Kuso family who were still saying their goodbyes.

"Thank you for hospitality once again" Shun bowed in front of them "Me and my grandfather are in your debt" He said with the tiniest of smiles at his lips. The girl noticing he was looking at her, her eyes widened.

"Thank you very much for taking care of me!" Runo bowed as well, her cheeks burning from embarrassment "I was really happy to have spent part of my vacation in your care" She wanted to say more but she felt that if she did, the Howgarts Express would leave without her. Both of them stood once again as they felt a gentle embrace.

"You are welcome to stay with us whenever you want" Mrs. Kuso said with gentleness on her voice. Runo felt herself being pressed against her left shoulder, eyes widening at the action. The older woman hugged them a little bit more, until another whistle was heard from the train. She pulled back as she gave each of them a kiss on their heads "Take care of yourselves too" The blunette looked up and Mrs. Kuso was smiling down at them, her eyes full of love. Runo felt her heart ache at the sight.

Then they were both pushed towards the train, as Dan took their hands and led them inside of the Hogwarts Express. Runo let out a wavering breath of air, as she walked inside the known train, not being able to look back as the doors closed behind them. The girl then turned and saw the Kuso couple waving back at them with big smiles. Mrs. Kuso was finally crying as Mr. Kuso held on to her right hand.

The girl waved back at them, unable to stop some tears from her eyes. Soon the train was already moving, and the King's Cross Station had disappeared from their view. Runo furiously rubbed her eyes until she felt no more tears were coming out. Seeing Dan's parents like that made her imagine her own parents doing the same. She breathed out once again as she turned to her friends. And suddenly she was crashing down onto the floor, someone hugging her from the neck. Silver hair was clouding her vision, as she tried sitting up from her position.

"Julie! Let me breathe!" Runo tried removing the girl's arms around her, but said girl wasn't moving. The blunette tried sitting up but Julie was keeping her on the floor of the train. "Julie! Let me go!" Finally the said girl drew back from their embrace, a pout on her lips, as she let Runo sit up.

"That was for not answering my letters" Julie muttered angrily, looking away from the blunette's gaze. She crossed her arms around her chest and turned away "And also because I missed you" She quietly added. The Gryffindor couldn't help but to laugh at her friend, as they both stood up from their position.

"It's good to see you again Julie" She smiled at the silver haired girl. Julie then looked at her and smiled as well. Then her eyes shifted from her to Dan.

"Danny!" She screamed and jumped towards him, lacing her arms over his neck. The boy only laughed and hugged her back. Runo's stomach tightened as she watched the scene but turned away before she could even scowl. Shun was looking at her with curiosity and a little smirk forming around his lips.

"Runo!" A known voice rang in the girl's head. She turned and watched as her Ravenclaw friend ran towards them.

"Alice!" The blunette called out to her as they both embraced each other in a hug. They pulled back, bright smiles on their faces as they turned to look at the rest of her friends. The redhead moved from her position as she greeted both Dan and Shun. Runo's lips formed a small smile as she watched her friends reunited again. She let out a breath of relief.

"Well come on! Alice and I already have a compartment in the train! We don't want to be standing here forever you know!" Julie commanded them. She took hold of Dan's upper arm and practically dragged him there.

"If I didn't know you better I would say you're jealous" Shun teased Runo. Alice looked between the two teens and giggled as she went after Julie and Dan. The Slytherin picked up his truck and walked besides the redhead. The girl only glared at the back of the boy, picked up her stuff and walked behind her group of friends, stomping all of the way to the compartment. She ignored the usual looks sent her way as she followed her friends and entered the little compartment. She sat down next to the window and beside her were both Alice and Shun, while Julie was still clinging on to Dan's arm seated just in front of them.

"You alright kid?" Dan's voice snapped her out of her train of thought. She turned to him. He had a frown on his face, worry on his eyes as he looked at her. The rest of her friends turned to her as well. The blunette smiled, her bad mood vanishing in an instant.

"Yeah I'm fine"

"Oh Runo if you were upset that I'm not paying you attention, you can sit here with me" Julie teased as she patted the spot next to her.

"Don't push it Makimoto" Runo responded coldly as Julie let out a 'So mean!' everyone laughing at them. The blunette was really grateful that she was at the Hogwarts Express once more.

The whole ride was filled with laughter and stories from their vacations, everyone telling their respective summer stories and excited for being back to Hogwarts another year. The blunette omitted her whole situation back at the orphanage and explained to Alice and Julie what had happened with her letters. Julie was still upset that she didn't respond to any of them. And with a blink of an eye they had arrived the Hogsmeade Station and the first years were being led away by Ingram into the boats at the Black Lake. They followed the rest of the students and rode on empty carriages towards the castle's gates. And from there they walked towards the castle.

* * *

The sounds of chattering were heard all around the Great Hall; students in their full uniform meeting their friends once again after not seeing them all summer. Runo Misaki sat down at the Gryffindor table with Dan by her side as they greeted their respective roommates and chatted with them. The girl was so happy she could her cheeks hurting from the smile. The Great Hall was decorated just as her Sorting had happened, candles floating everywhere while the ceiling reflected the starry night's sky.

Most of the students had already been seated in their respective tables, leaving a fair amount of space for the newcomers at the front. Runo turned her head away from the conversation with her roommates as she looked at the teacher's table. Every teacher was still the same with the exception that Professor Drago was nowhere to be seen. Tigrerra was missing as well while the new professor Klaus Knight was seated at the far end corner of the table. Professor Wyvern was sitting at the middle of the table, waving and smiling at the students who were greeting her from afar. The girl turned towards the entrance once again now waiting for the start of the feast. She was starving.

"Man what's taking them so long?" Dan said as he looked at the entrance of the Great Hall once again. The doors where still shut with no sings of the first years and the pair groaned in unison.

"Guys relax, they'll come, eventually" Fabia Sheen said with an awkward smile. She was currently sitting in front of them, Chan Lee by her side, both of them trying to calm down their hunger.

"You should control more your eating habits" The other girl commented as her words were drowned with the sounds of the doors opening. Everyone straightened up on their seats as they watched Professor Tigrerra walking with ease in between the tables of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. A crowd of eleven year olds was walking behind her, looking in awe at everyone and everything. Runo couldn't help her smile as she watched the new students of Hogwarts, until one of them caught her eye.

The boy was short, but not too short to be in a crowd of eleven year olds. He had bright blue eyes and wavy blond hair adorning his face. He had a pair of red glasses over his eyes and his robes looked like they were a little too big on him. But what caught her curiosity was the fact that he wasn't in awe at the things happening before him. He looked like he had seen it many times before and he wasn't impressed with them. Runo frowned at him as the crowd stopped in front of a stool with the Sorting Hat.

The blunette paid no mind to the singing voice of the Sorting Hat as she kept on watching the blond boy. He seemed unfazed by the scene and frankly he even looked worried from her point of view. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned. Dan was giving her a questioning look and as she was about to answer her voice died down with the waves of clapping. She turned to the front once again and clapped with the rest of her housemates. Professor Tigrerra lifted up her hand and the sounds died down. The woman took out a parchment from her robes and started calling out the names of the new students.

"Christopher Fujimura!" Tigrerra's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall. A short boy with messy brown hair, walked towards the stool, his legs shaking as he sat on it. The professor placed the hat on its head and then silence.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat exclaimed as the respective table erupted in cheers at getting the first student in their house. The boy excitedly ran towards his house and Runo watched as he greeted them and sat down. More names were being called and the blunette cheered even more when a student was assigned to Gryffindor.

"Nene Kaneda!" A little girl with bright pink melon hair tied in three pigtails, proudly made her way and sat on the stool. The second the hat touched her head it exclaimed "SLYTHERIN!" The snake house cheered loudly for the girl, as she with a smug smile made her way towards the table.

"Baron Leroy!" Tigrerra called out another name. A boy with spiky lilac hair sat on the stool with a happy smile etched o his lips. Some minutes passed as the hat kept on conversing with him. At last the Sorting Hat called out the house name.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The table cheered louder than before. The boy let out a cheer for him as well as he practically ran towards his new house. The blunette laughed as she noticed Julie trying to calm down the new kid.

The list went on and on but the blond boy was still standing in the crowd of first years. He would watch the cheers but would only clap once or twice when the hat would take longer than a minute. Runo wondered what was happening inside his head for him to look so depressed.

"Komba O'Charlie!" The woman called out as an eleven year old, with a bushy dark brown hair exclaimed in excitement and ran towards the stool. Runo wasn't even surprised when the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" She cheered along with her housemates as the new kid made his way towards the table and excitedly shook hands with some of the older students.

Soon enough the crowd of first years grew shorter and shorter, leaving behind the blond boy standing alone in front of the wooden stool. He looked at Tigrerra and the woman kindly smiled at him just as Professor Wyvern stood up and made her way towards the boy. The Headmistress stood right before the wooden stool, any signs of chattering or whisperings died down in an instant. She kindly smiled at all of them.

"Welcome back everyone, from first years to seventh years!" Wyvern said as she looked at all of the students before her "I am Opal Wyvern, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" The blond now looked more tense than before as he saw the headmistress by his side "I am glad to greet you all for another wonderful year that is ahead of us, but before I present your teachers I must introduce you to our newest guest!" She placed her hand on the boy's back and Runo could see a shiver going down his spine.

"This is Marucho Maruka, he is an exchange student from the United States who'll be attending our school this year" Murmurs and whispers where heard amongst the houses "He'll be sorted into one of our houses and will spend the year with them, please give him a proper welcome" She instructed and the whispering disappeared.

"That's weird" Dan commented besides her "Why would an exchange student come here of all places?"

"Maybe he liked the school?" Runo questioned, her eyes not leaving the blond boy. Wyvern turned towards Marucho and with a kind smile directed him towards the stool. The boy stiffly sat down on it and waited as Tigrerra placed down the hat on his head. A silence appeared amongst everyone as a conversation was created between the boy and the Sorting Hat.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted and the blue and bronze house erupted in cheers and excited yells. The other houses quietly groaned and clapped alongside the Ravenclaw house. Marucho bowed quickly to both Wyvern and Tigrerra and made his way towards his new house, almost tripping with his robes.

"That's a bummer" Fabia commented as she crossed her arms over her chest, clearly annoyed that the boy wasn't selected for their house. Runo quietly laughed as she turned to the Headmistress once again.

"Now I'll present to you your teachers for this year" Professor Opal started introducing the same professors to the newest students. The professor's would stand up and bow as everyone cheered and sat down again.

"Your new professor this year is going to be the Klaus Knight, Professor in Defense Against the Dark Arts" Everyone clapped as the man started to bow quite vigorously. Mostly girls cheers and screaming was heard amongst the students "He'll be filling out the role of our previous professor, Pyrus Drago" The clapping died down as the Headmistress continued talking "Professor Drago won't be with us this year due to another activities he needs to fulfill and in his place Haos Tigrerra will be the Head of the Gryffindor House" The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. Runo alongside them cheered and clapped as the announcement was made "And as for Deputy Headmistress will be Storm Skyress" The Slytherin house cheered louder as well as their head of the house was mentioned.

"We hope you enjoy this year with us!" Wyvern kindly smiled at them "And without further ado, enjoy the feast!" She clapped her hands together and trays of food appeared in front of them. Runo heard the first years gasp in amazement at the trick, and felt her lips turn into a smile. Before she could even pick up her plate, Dan was already gulping down his food.

"You're going to choke yourself!" Runo said in an annoyed voice, as the brunette only rolled his eyes at her. She was about to say something more but a growl was heard loud and clear in her stomach. Her brunette friend only gave her a suggestive look as her roommates started laughing at her. With red cheeks in embarrassment, the girl started eating without a care in the word. Different kinds of flavors filled her mouth and she smiled dreamily. It was worth the wait.

* * *

"Okay students, line up!" Aquos Preyas commanded the students. It was the first day of school and the first class of the day being Herbology with the Professor Preyas. He had a different outfit than his usual one, Runo noticed. He was wearing a similar olive green coat, that the students where forced to wear to prevent staining their uniforms, over his usual extravagant tux. The second years of Gryffindor made a line in one side of the long white table, while the Ravenclaw students stood in the opposite side. Alice was right in front of her, while the boy named Marucho was right by her side.

They were currently in one of the greenhouses that were situated next to the Hogwarts castle. Greenhouse Three was full of different and exotic plants with different colors and shapes on every corner. Glass tiles were all around it, providing a source of light for the plant life to continue growing. White wooden tables were placed all around the room and a large one just in the center for all of the students. On top of it several pots were placed all around the table, with gardening tools next to them.

Runo let out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes harder. After the wonderful feast, her house had partied some more at their Common Room for the start of the year. She spent most of her time chatting with Fabia and Chan Lee, catching up with their respective summers. The blunette didn't get much sleep after that. She even overslept and missed breakfast to get in time for Professor's Preyas class. A flick on her forehead made her snap back into the class. Dan was standing next to her an innocent look on his face, but the girl wasn't buying it.

"Now class I want you to pass these around and put them on your ears when I indicate it" Professor Preyas instructed as he started giving them a bunch of brown earmuffs. Runo took one from Dan's hands and passed the rest to the remaining students. "Now" The professor adjusted his own earmuffs on his ears as he spoke "Can one of you tell me what a mandrake is?" The blunette exchange a look with her brunette friend but he only shrugged in confusion. A hand shot up in the air and Marucho's eyes were gleaming with interest. The professor pointed at him and ushered him to go on.

"A Mandrake, also known as Mandragora, is a plant which has a root that looks like a human and its cry to the naked ear can be fatal to anyone who hears it" The boy spoke in a confident voice as he answered the question. Runo was taken aback. She though the boy wouldn't be someone who'd like to participate in discussions and even less in class. Alice sent the boy a smile and now his face was now full of embarrassment. "I-It c-can also help people who have been petrified"

"Very good Mr. Maruka, 10 points to Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaws all sent smiles in his way as his face continued to blare up in embarrassment "As Mr. Maruka said, a Mandrake is a plant which root looks like a human. They even grow like a normal human going through childhood and to adulthood but in lesser time" He took a pot in his hands that was in front of him "The Mandrakes have medical properties as you may know or not. Their roots are also used as ingredients to make potions, like the Mandrake Restorative Draught and so" He placed the pot on the table once again as he put on two pair of gardening gloves on his hands

"The Mandrake also has a fatal cry when it's mature enough, but when in childhood it only knocks the person unconscious for a few hours" Professor Preyas now had his usual wicked grin on his lips "What we're going to do with this class is help the Mandrakes start growing" He pointed at the pots that were neatly placed on the white table "These pots have newly born Mandrakes and what we need to do is to transplant its seedlings onto another pot" The man now placed his own earmuffs on and the students took this as cue to place their own as well. Preyas then took hold of the stem of the plant "Now watch closely as I do it" He started speaking louder "Just take hold of the stem and yank it with force, like THIS!" He shouted the last part, the smile now more evident.

The professor yanked upwards the plant and a horrible scream was heard all around the greenhouse. Even with the earmuff on, Runo could hear the horrible cry. Professor Preyas was holding on to the stem of the plant, showing off the Mandrake. The plant was disgusting to look at, it looked like a normal plant with a firm stem and leaves growing at the top of its head but the roots were just like Marucho had said. They had a similar form of a child of just five years old but smaller in size. It kept crying and crying, and the girl heard a louder thud on the table.

"Now we have to plant it again!" The professor shouted over the crying. He shoved the Mandrake into a new pot as the plant kept on screaming. Quickly the man shoved new dirt on to the new pot, and gave it little taps. Suddenly the cries stopped as the professor had filled the top of the pot with the newer dirt. He let out a breath of relief as he looked at the students. "That's basically what you have to do students" He smiled again until another hand shot up.

"Professor I think Lync passed out" A student, Mira Clay, said as she looked at the empty spot beside her. Everyone craned their heads, trying to see the boy who was knocked out on the ground. Runo only managed to see a mop of pale pink hair on the floor and the boy face first onto the floor.

"Oh well let him rest" Professor Preyas dismissed it with a wave "Remember students, you have to hold your Mandrake firmly and then pull it!" Everyone nodded in agreement "Now grab your Mandrakes" The blunette quickly grabbed the first pot in front of her and held the stem of the plant tightly "And pull it!" In swift movement, most of the students had yanked their respective Mandrakes from the pot, each plant emitting a horrible cry.

"Plant it gain!" The professor instructed over the crying sounds. Runo didn't even dare to look at the horrible creature as she shoved it into a new pot and grabbed handfuls of new dirt. She only stacked mountains of dirt after another until the crying of her Mandrake stopped and she could breathe again. Dan was having more fun than her. She watched as he quickly placed the Mandrake on the pot and with a goofy grin was gently placing dirt all over it. The girl swore she could see a smile forming on the plants lips.

"Looks like you got yourself a new girlfriend Dan" Runo commented with a sly smile, Dan only glaring back at her as he finished setting his plant on the pot. In some minutes the crying all around them had vanished and so the class over. The pair of Gryffindors packed up their things and headed out of the greenhouse with the rest of the students.

"Hey guys!" Alice was now next to them a gentle smile on her face. The new boy was shyly walking right besides her, looking between her and them.

"Hey Alice" Runo greeted the girl with a smile, and smiled at the blond boy as well.

"What's your next class?" The redhead inquired, as the group left behind the rows of greenhouses and entered the Hogwarts castle, making their way to their next class.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts with the new professor" Dan had an evident look of disgust and annoyance on his face "I mean what does he know about DATDA?! We would be better off with Drago!" He started rambling to himself about the bad points of Klaus Knight and in some of them Runo had to agree.

"I don't think he can teach that's all" The blunette commented, frowning along with it "I mean he lives for the show and he made us buy all of his unnecessary collection of autobiographies?!" She was getting annoyed of just thinking about it.

"Oh well I don't think he can be that bad" Alice smiled awkwardly. Runo was about to say something more until she saw the blond opening his mouth.

"Maybe he wants to try new things?" The boy said quietly. He turned his face towards them and noticed his stares. The blunette watched a blush crept over his cheeks "I-I mea-an, we won't know-w if he´s good or not until we have him teaching us, right-t?" He asked that question kind of unsure. Runo let out a small laugh and the brunette did so as well.

"No need to be so serious with us buddy" Dan said as he moved towards the Ravenclaw's side, a sincere smile on his lips "Anyways, I'm Dan Kuso" He extended his hand towards the boy.

"Marucho Maruka" The blond said quietly and he took the brunette's hands and shook it. Marucho now seemed to be more relaxed in front of them than before, a little smile apparent on his lips. Now Runo approached the boy and extended her hand out.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Runo Misaki" She saw his eyes widen in a second. 'Oh boy' She could already feel what he was about to say to her. He shyly shook her hand, a smile making its way to his lips.

"The first years students had been talking about you non-stop on the Hogwarts Express" He said louder than before "But I don't know what kind of amazing things you did for them to talk about you" Before Runo could even process the sentence, Dan started laughing harder than before. Alice was covering her mouth with her hands, but laughs would get out of her mouth. His face turned into a flushed mess once again.

"No-o I-I didn't-t mean to offend you or anything!" He said in distress.

"Oh don't worry about it" Runo said with a smile. She was actually glad that he didn't knew who she was, it was much satisfying that way "It's better like that" The girl smiled back at him and he only nodded in agreement. The sound of a bell echoed through the hall, indicating the start of another class.

"Shoot!" Dan shouted. He quickly ran past them and towards the room of DATDA. He didn't even waved them goodbye and just shouted a couple of 'See ya!' leaving the blunette girl behind.

"Wait for me!" Runo ran after him "Bye guys, I'll see you later!" She waved her goodbyes to the Ravenclaws as she ran after her brunette friend "Dan slow down!"

* * *

"And so, with my trustworthy wand and amazing intellect I was able to infiltrate the lair of the Banshee, but if you wish to know more, please read my book "Break with a Banshee" Klaus Knight bowed in front of his students. Some of his love struck fans clapped with glee and joy as the rest of the class only ignored the tale completely. Professor Knight had been reenacting his most adventurous tales in the class of Defense Against the Dark Arts, with the excuse of it being 'educational purposes'. He had even brought signed photos of himself to give out to the students.

Runo's head was dropping every time the professor started narrating his life. Dan had been sleeping since the class started and the Knight wasn't even aware of it. Julie was part of the group of girls clapping for him. She was sitting besides Billy Gilbert, a student in Gryffindor and one of Dan's roommates. The blond boy with blue eyes, looked like he was trying to pay attention to the professor just for Julie's sake but even Runo could see that he was yawning every now and then.

The Hufflepuff students around the class where the ones being the nicest to the professor, trying to keep awake and pay attention to what he was saying. The Gryffindors on the other hand, were the complete opposite. Most of them were already sleeping or talking in whispers with their classmates sitting next to them. And Runo wasn't against it one bit. She and the whole house wanted Professor Drago back and their usual DATDA classes. The blunette sighed as she heard Professor Knight started talking about one of his other books again. The girl rested her head on the desk as she closed her eyes. She started blocking out the voice of her professor and classmates and focused on sleeping. She was already drifting off when she heard a strange sound. It was a faint voice talking at the back of her mind. The voice was just a faint whisper, and Runo couldn't make out what it was saying. The girl tried concentrating on it but the harder she did, the voice died down. Suddenly a bang startled her.

She shot up in her seat and almost fell down at the sound. Many Gryffindor students looked startled as well, eyes wide and nervous for a second. Dan fell from his chair but no one seemed to notice. Professor Knight was at the front desk with a cage covered in a blue fabric. He had his back towards the students and was still rambling on about his adventures.

"But I mean anyone can defeat a Manticore, am I right?" He turned to his students with his usual celebrity smile. His fans in the room swooned at the sight. Even Julie was smiling brighter now, with pink blush over her cheeks.

"How could Professor Wyvern replace Professor Drago for that idiot?" Dan whispered angrily at her.

"She didn't replace him, remember Professor Wyvern said that Professor Drago had some business to attend. Knight is only a substitute" The girl whispered back, trying to pay attention at the words of the professor.

"Well students for our final activity of the class, I'll show you one of the most dangerous and trickiest species of this world" He was now smirking as he moved behind the desk. The man grabbed the hem of the fabric "Prevent yourselves from screaming or you might provoke them!" He snatched the fabric away, revealing the insides of the cage. Runo managed to see a dozen of little men with blue skin and pointy ears. They had skinny bodies and a pair of clear wings. They were buzzing from one side to another inside the cage, in a kind of irritated manner.

"Cornish Pixies, you have to be kidding me" The brunette boy laughed at her side as he watched the little species. Runo didn't say anything more as she kept on watching the blue pixies. Other students started to laugh as well, watching the magical creatures in amusement.

"No I am not kidding Mr. Kuso" Klaus Knight sent a brief glare at the boy before he showed his dazzling smile once again. "Let's see then what you make of them!" Before anyone realized what the professor was doing, he had opened the lid of the cage. The pixies flew in frenzy out of the cage, flying from one spot to another. Students started yelling as some of the creatures started yanking their hair, ears, and uniforms. Bottles of ink went flying from one wall to the other, quills broken into pieces, books being torn apart and even the desks were smashed one against the other.

Runo watched in confusion as the professor stood next to his desk, smile still on place after the ruckus happening around him. Many students were still screaming as they tried to get rid of the pixies. Once they were freed, they would only pick up their stuff as soon as possible and leave the classroom.

"Let's leave before this gets any uglier!" Dan shouted at her above all of the yelling. The blunette nodded and quickly packed her stuff. Before she could move, she felt a hard yank at one of her pigtails. She released a yelp as she tried to free her hair but to no avail. A pixie smiled devilishly at her as it kept on pulling her pigtail.

"Dan!" She called out to the brunette boy. He reacted on instinct and without thinking kicked the pixie to the other side of the room. Runo released a breath of relief and thanked her friend. Julie was now by their side, a nervous look on her eyes as well. Billy Gilbert next to her, slamming the coming pixies with one of Knight's books.

"We have to leave!" The brunette said to them. The group nodded in agreement as they ran to the door of the classroom. Before they could even touch the door handle they heard a yell. The group turned just in time to see Klaus Knight being lifted up by a group of pixies. He was screaming 'Peskipiski Pesternomi!' over and over but nothing would happen. One of the pixies was holding on to his wand and threw it outside the window.

"We can't leave him here!" Julie said in distress. The professor was being tossed from one side of the room to the other by the little creatures. His arms were flailing and his voice sounded like a shrill yell. Runo didn't mind one bit leaving the man behind.

"PLEASE HELP ME!" He shouted in a shrill voice. The Hufflepuff looked at her group of friends hope flashing in her eyes. The three Gryffindors were only glaring back at her in annoyance.

"You're too good for your own good Jules" Billy said as he took out his wand from his back pocket. Runo turned to Dan. The boy had a big frown on his face but he still took out his wand. The blunette sighed in defeat and did the same.

"How do you suggest we stop them Julie?" Runo asked the silver haired girl. Julie flashed her a grin as she took out her wand as well. She stayed silent for some time, thinking about a way to stop the devilish creatures. The blunette watched as her eyes light up and the Hufflepuff turned to her.

"Let's use the Freezing Charm!" Her eyes were sparkling and without a second thought moved towards the hoard of pixies _"Immobulus!"_ The charm emitted a blue light around the room. Runo watched as a couple of pixies stopped moving all together and froze in their spot. Julie let out a squeal of delight and proceeded to do the same with the rest of the pixies.

 _"Immobulus!"_ The blunette casted the spell and the same thing happened. Dan and Billy did the same to the remaining pixies and before they knew it, all of the blue creatures were paralyzed in the spot. Suddenly a yelp was heard and the group turned just in time to see the great Klaus Knight crash into the couple of desks. Runo stifled her laughter as she bit down on her lower lip, Dan laughed in silence and turned away by the professor and Billy had a hand covering his mouth. The Hufflepuff was the only one ho rushed to help the professor as the rest moved with ease the rest of the pixies inside the cage.

"Very good students, well done" Klaus Knight said with difficulty as he dusted off his expensive robes. Julie was by his side in an instant asking if he had been injured or needed any help "Fear not Miss Makimoto, strong wizards like me can't be that easily defeated" The girl only swooned at the comment. Runo rolled her eyes as she stuffed her wand back into her back pocket. Billy took hold of Julie's upper arm and basically dragged her outside the classroom with an annoyed look on his face. The Gryffindors only followed after them.

"Wait Miss Misaki?" The professor called out to the said girl. The blunette only turned towards the professor, questioning look on her face but didn't speak. "You can wait outside Mr. Kuso, this won't take long" Runo turned towards her friend. He had an irritated look on his face, but did as the professor told him and exited the classroom.

"Is something wrong, professor?" The girl asked, not interested about what the teacher had to say.

"Oh no everything is fine Miss Misaki, I just wanted to share some of my tips with you" He had a sincere smile as he brushed his silver hair out of his face. Runo was sure that if Julie were here she would've died in that moment.

"Tips on what exactly?" She was getting confused at the antics of the professor. He released a laugh but the girl wasn't sure what was funny.

"Tips on behaving like a real celebrity!" He exclaimed with glee. The blunette's eyes widened and before she could process the sentence the man continued to speak "I mean you are a celebrity, you already have recognition around the wizarding world and even more in Hogwarts, you are the topic on everyone's mouth. You just need to act…" He started examining her and the girl now felt uncomfortable "Act like a proper role model. I saw you slouching on my class today but since we're in this business together I didn't think it was such a good move, you understand?"

"Wait" Runo sighed and looked at the man with a frown "But I'm not a celebrity here"

"Oh of course you are Miss Misaki! The first years have been eager to meet you. Maybe you can come to one of my classes and present yourself" The man smiled. The Gryffindor really wanted to bolt out of the door.

"Well as astounding you offer, I'm not interested Professor Knight" Runo said in a final tone of voice. Before the man could protest, the girl had already turned around and walked outside the classroom door. Once she exited, she slammed the door close with so much force that she could feel the doorknob creak a little.

"Was it that bad?" She heard Dan ask. He was leaning in one of the walls next to the classroom. Julie and Billy were waiting for her as well, the silver haired girl with an excited grin on her lips. The girl only breathed in and out.

"Let's just say that Knight hit his head pretty hard when he fell down"

"Oh I'm so jealous of your Runo!" The Hufflepuff whined. She had a pout on her lips and shooting daggers at the blunette "I would love to talk with Klaus Knight like that!" Runo just rolled her eyes.

"Believe me, you don't. Let's go to the Great Hall, I'm starving" Runo shrugged as she made her way towards the location, the rest following after her. Before they knew it they had already reached the Great Hall. It was full with students of all years and houses, eating and laughing every now and then. The blunette could finally feel like she could breathe in relief.

"Miss Julie!" Runo heard a voice call out to her friend. She turned her head and recognized one of the kids who had been sorted into Hufflepuff the night before. He had a yellow bandana over his forehead and his robes looked a little bit big on him. The boy approached them with a cheerful and excited grin.

"Oh hey Baron, how's it going?" Julie said with enthusiasm "Have you liked your classes so far?"

"Yes Miss Julie! This is all so new and exciting! I've never felt this pumped up before!" Runo grinned as she imagined the boy as a little puppy, waggling its tail everywhere he went. Suddenly his eyes fell on her.

"Oh right! Let me introduce you" The silver haired girl had now a devil grin on her face "Baron this is my friend Billy Gilbert" she said as she pointed at the blonde boy "This is Dan Kuso" she pointed now at the brunette, who had a confused look on his face "And this is Runo Misaki!" The blunette waved at the boy. The lilac haired boy had a look of shock all over his face. In an instant a piece of paper and a pen were shoved into Runo's hands.

"Miss Runo I finally get to meet you!" The boy was shinning with happiness "Miss Julie told me all about you yesterday and I have been a very big fan of yours! Could you please sign this?" He still had a bright grin on his lips. Runo just smiled awkwardly at the boy but didn't take the paper or the pen.

"Geez I'm very flattered by that Baron" The blunette shot a glare at Julie, who only gave her a thumbs up in encouragement "But I'm not really the type to give out, um autographs?" She honestly felt confused at the whole situation. In an instant she saw the boy's smile drop.

"Oh don't be sad Baron!" Julie piped right in the situation "It's just that Runo has a lot of stuff on her mind lately! She would love to give you an autograph another day!" She sent the blunette a suggestive look.

"You really think so?" Baron's face lit up once more. Runo was really starting to think he had some kind of emotional disorder "Alright then! I'll ask you when you are free Miss Runo!" And in a blink the boy was gone.

"What just happened?" Dan asked in confusion as he scratched his head.

"No clue" Runo responded as she sent a glare at Julie. The girl only showed her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, he was bugging me all night if I knew you and I ended up telling him that I could get him an autograph" She apologized but the bluenette only wanted to swipe that smile off her face. Runo groaned out loud and walked towards her house table not bothering to even wave goodbye to Julie. She wasn't a celebrity and she wasn't going to act like one for sure.

"Seems like you already have a fan Misaki" An annoying voice exclaimed. The girl only rolled her eyes before she turned towards the Slytherin table. There Hydron Prince was showing off a smug smile as he sat in a crowd of older students. Runo felt a little intimidated but she chose to ignore them and focus on the blond.

"At least I don't go whining to my dad when things don't go my way Hydron" The girl smirked as she watched the tips of the boy's ears dust with red.

"Why you!" Prince exclaimed, fuming with anger. The girl walked away with a triumphant smile as she sat down at an empty spot in her table. She saw Dan heading her way, laughing as he caught sight of Hydron. The blunette smiled as she bit down on her food.

"Well that wasn't so bad, you totally shut him up" The brunette sat down next to her and grabbed from every food that was in front of him. Runo was about to comment on his eating habits when her name being called stopped her from doing so.

"RUNO!" Her friend Fabia was running through the Great Hall, Chan Lee following closely behind her. She was holding what seemed to be a long rectangular brown box as she headed towards her. Chan Lee moved some of the plates away from the table and a few crowd of Gryffindors surrounded them. Fabia without hesitating placed the box on the table and looked at Runo in expectation "Well? What are you waiting for, open it!"

"This is mine?" The blunette asked in confusion as she stared at the box.

"Yes! Someone left it by your bed and I thought it would be better to bring it to you!" Her lips parted into a bright smile "Oh! This came with it too" Chan Lee now handed her a small envelope. Runo eyed it with curiosity as she saw her name in cursives at the front of it. She opened it up and read it.

 _I hope you like your present._

 _-H.T._

Runo's eyes widened at the recognition of the initials. In an instant her head turned towards the Professor's table. Professor Tigrerra was looking towards her, a bright smile on her lips. Then she brought a finger to them, her eyes glinting with amusement. The blunette's lips parted into a smile as well and now turned to the box in front of her. Without hesitation she opened up the box, the people around her watching in expectation. She removed some newspaper that was inside the box and her mouth dropped.

"That's the Nimbus 2001 Runo!" Dan said beside her and laughed. His eyes were full of awe as he took in the fine broom. The blunette watched it with amazement and surprise. The broom was beautiful. It had a long black handle and a golden stripe holding on the delicate brown twigs at the bottom of it. Runo moved her hand and touched it; the wood was definitely ebony.

"It's is considered one of the fastest brooms to this date!" Billy Gilbert commented as he kept watching the broom. The blunette picked it up with ease and examined it. The broom was the greatest gift she could ask for. She smiled as she twirled the broom in her hands.

"Alright now you can't back down on the Quidditch Try Outs!" Dan shot her a smirk "You do know that they have already posted the dates, right?"

"Having one of those brooms on the Quidditch Team can assure our win of the Quidditch Cup this year!" Fabia said as she did a fist bump in the air "Maybe we can beat the Slytherin team this time!"

"See Runo? Fabia thinks the same!" They both did a high five as the brunette turned towards her "What do you say kid?" The blunette only smirked at the boy and grabbed the broom's handle with excitement.

"You bet I'm in"

Maybe the first day of school wasn't that bad after all.

* * *

LIST CHARACTERS: 

\- Marucho Maruka (RAVENCLAW / 2ND YEAR)

\- Billy Gilbert (GRYFFINDOR / 2ND YEAR)

\- Mira Clay (RAVENCLAW / 2ND YEAR)

\- Lync Volan (RAVENCLAW / 2ND YEAR)

\- Baron Leroy (HUFFLEPUFF / 1ST YEAR)

\- Nene Kaneda (SLYTHERIN / 1ST YEAR)

\- Komba O´Charlie (GRYFFINDOR / 1ST YEAR)

\- Christopher Fujimura (HUFFLEPUFF / 1ST YEAR)

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I actually managed to update this chapter a little bit ahead of time, yay! Sorry for the ones wanting to read the car chasing the hogwarts express in this story, like in the HP story but I felt that it didn't fit quite well with this fanfic, sorry! And wow this chapter was longer than expected haha I added a bunch of stuff when revising it and reached 8k words hehe Also the characters that just got sorted will be important in the later years of the story, so keep your heads up! Oh and another thing that I changed from the story was that Runo had the Nimbus 2001 and not the Nimbus 2000 like Harry Potter, since I thought it would be much cooler haha**

 **Anyways a head's up for the next chapter hoho it's going to be good, I felt a ton more excited about the next one than this one so bear with me people. Like always I'll try to update before a month passes since the last update from the story, but it's going to be one March or maybe even April since a couple of projects from school are starting to pile up. ALSO, I'm pretty close to finishing the second chapter of** "Mutant Battle Brawlers" **but I don't know when I'll be able to post it, but I do hope that it's soon. Hope you liked the new chapter and if you have any comment leave a review to let me know! Have a great week!**


	11. Second Year: Mudbloods

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- Mudbloods**

"Okay guys! My name is Jake Vallory and I'm the new Team Captain" A boy with tanned skin and orange wavy hair said in a loud and deep voice. He was taller and muscular than the average fourteen year old and his lips were formed into a very energetic smile. He was wearing the Quidditch Gryffindor uniform and his hair was tied up in a little bun at the back of his head "Now me and my team we're going to evaluate your skills and reflexes based on some practices, okay?! Now the rules are…"

"Is it me or you're more nervous than usual?" Runo whispered to Dan as she watched him with curious eyes.

Two weeks had passed since the first day at Hogwarts and the blunette believed that it was a blessing she was able to assist the Quidditch tryouts. She was almost sure that someone was out to get her. Klaus Knight was still bothering her between classes, Baron Leroy was shoving a pen and paper every time he saw her, Hydron Prince was even more irritating and surprisingly she hadn't had a chance to talk with Shun. Her head was going to burst if she kept thinking about it. It was a Saturday early in the morning and Dan and her had been practicing for the Quidditch tryouts almost every night after classes. Her broom, the Nimbus 2001 was not just amazing, it was magnificent. Runo felt super fast in it and she had been able to adapt to it quite fast. Dan would try and ride the broom but his hands would end up slipping out of the handle.

They were currently at the Quidditch pitch and a few people around the stands watching the tryouts; Julie, Marucho and Alice being one of them. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the pitch so the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the pitch were golden poles with hoops on the end. The pitch was divided in two for the moment; on the right side were the Gryffindors, while the left side the Slytherin team was conducting their tryouts as well. The sun was shinning brightly on the freshly cutgrass and Runo couldn't help but to take a breath of air and admire the sight in front of her. She felt a little nervous about the tryouts but her body was much more filled with excitement and adrenaline. Dan was a completely different case.

"What are you talking about-t?! You're-e confused Runo" The brunette said stammering his sentence out. His forehead was starting to sweat and his eyes kept darting from once side to another. Runo only rolled her eyes and looked towards the other side of the pitch. The current Slytherin Quidditch Team Captain was still explaining the rules to the students in front of him as the blunette searched for a well-known raven-haired boy.

"Wasn't Shun going to try out for the Quidditch team too?" The blunette inquired as her eyes scanned over the crowd of Slytherins from the other side. Her face turned into a frown once she recognized Hydron Prince at the front row of the tryouts.

"Yeah, he told me he was going to be trying out for the team as well" Dan said as he started to look for his best friend, a lot calmer than before.

"Okay champs!" Jake Vallory announced as he clapped with enthusiasm "Remember we only have two positions for the team right now, one for a Beater and the other one for a Seeker" He made a motion with his fingers "Our previous Seeker already graduated and our past Beater took now the position of a Chaser. So now make two lines, on one side the Seekers and the other one the Beaters" The crowd of Gryffindor students stirred as the moved as told by the captain.

"Good luck" Runo whispered to Dan in an encouraging tone of voice. The brunette only managed to nod and moved towards the other line. There were more people trying out for the Beater position than the Seeker. In her line only her and three more students stood ground.

"Okay we'll go first with the Beaters, make a front line!" The captain commanded and everyone followed suit "Now the test is going to be this one, our current Beater, Kenta Kuso is going to throw the Bludgers at you and you have to knock them out of the way okay?! Grab a bat and mount on the broom Kenta will guide you!" Jake explained and clapped. Runo's brows furrowed at the mention of the last name. If she remembered correctly Dan hadn't mentioned a brother or a cousin being on Gryffindor, not even on Hogwarts. She looked over at the brunette and saw how he was already up in the air but his hands were trembling with nerves.

"Okay now Seekers! Your job is to catch the snitch during a Quidditch game, remember? Only then can the game be stopped, so for our test we will-" The captain was explaining until another voice piped in.

"Hey! Vallory!" A deep voice said. Runo turned to look at a guy with long blond spiked up hair and with brilliant blue eyes. He was taller than the Gryffindor captain and looked a year older than him. The blunette had to admit that the guy was pretty handsome to look at.

"What's up Clay?" Jake said in a more serious and less enthusiastic tone of voice than before. The girl could even feel the tension between the two starting to grow thicker and thicker.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do the Seeker tests together?" He asked as he motioned to the Slytherin students behind him "I'm only looking for a Seeker so I thought it would be more challenging if they practiced with your team" He looked back at them and smirked "Or maybe not so much since your team doesn't look that competitive"

"Tone it down" He warned and Runo could feel anger radiating out of his body "We'll show you once where at the real Quidditch games"

"I'd like to see you try" The Slytherin only smirked "So you're up to it or not?"

"My team is going to crush you!" Jake exclaimed with fury. The blonde only snickered as he turned to his team and started explaining. The Gryffindor Captain shot him another glare and turned to them "That's Keith Clay, the Captain of the Slytherin Team, he's a Chaser and a tough one if I say so myself" He sighed and tried to remain calm "So change of plans, now we're going to compete with the Slytherins as well, so try and catch the snitch and see how that goes" He finished with a clap.

The Gryffindors scrambled and stood in a horizontal line. Runo gripped on tightly on to the broom's handle and waited for the signal of mounting it. The Slytherin team dispersed around as well, right in front of the Gryffindors. There were a few more students from Slytherin trying out for Seeker and inside the pack was none other than Hydron Prince. The blunette internally groaned but ignored it as Jake commanded them to mount their brooms. She slid on to the Nimbus 2001 easily and tried to calm down her erratic heartbeat.

"Fly!" Vallory roared in excitement. Runo kicked the ground hard as she took off in the air. The breeze of the wind was like a greeting to her and the rays of sunshine were warming up her body. She was the first one on the Gryffindor team to be up on the air and she turned to look at the other participants whom were struggling to do so.

"What do we have here?" An arrogant voice snapped her out of her train of thought. The blunette brushed her pigtails out of her face and turned to glare at Hydron. The blond had a smug smile on his lips as he leaned with his elbows on his broom's handle "I'm impressed you managed to even fly in such a broom, only the highest can use them you know"

"Same goes for you Prince" She snapped back without hesitating "Who would've taught that a rat like you would be even able to fly?" The blond was about to say something else but the voice of his captain made him stop. Soon both of them were now surrounded with the other Seeker participants.

"I'm going to release the snitch, be ready!" The Slytherin captain commanded just as Jake shouted from a far distance 'Give 'em hell Gryffindor!' Runo felt her breath hitch for a moment. Her hands were a sweaty mess but she was ready. She wanted to touch the little golden ball again.

"Start!" Keith Clay shouted as he threw the little golden ball into the air. The blunette didn't move until she saw the ball spread its wings and fly away from the coming crowd. Runo didn't think that flying on a broom required a certain ability, she believed that it was based on a feeling. She sped past the largest crowd of people, trying to spot the snitch somewhere around the pitch. The wind was slapping her face but all she could feel was excitement. She was quickly scanning the area until a flash of golden caught her eye. She flew towards it without a doubt, and bingo she had found the snitch. The blunette was following the ball at a great speed as most of the participants were chasing after her and the ball. She pressed her body farther on to the handle and the broom flew even faster.

"I'm going to win this Misaki!" Hydron appeared next to her with an arrogant smirk. They both started to race to get to the snitch, completely forgetting about the other contestants. The blonde started to sway in his broom, and eventually bumping into her.

"Get off Hydron!" Runo shouted in annoyance. She quickly made a sharp turn to the right and descended as she kept her eyes on the snitch. It was going from one way of the pitch to the other. Suddenly she was pushed to the side hard, making her fall off the broom. Quickly Runo grabbed on to the broom's handle and stopped the fall. She released a gasp as she saw her feet dangling. She heard shouts of her name but she blocked them out.

"Sorry!" Hydron said in an annoying voice. He shot her a smirk and sped up past the snitch with a crowd of students behind him. Some of the Slytherins even shot her a couple of smirks and followed Hydron after the snitch.

"Curse you Prince!" Runo yelled at the boy. She sighed and pushed herself upwards, barely managing to get up on the broom. She was panting now as she watched the chase of the snitch was still going. Hydron had lost sight of the snitch and another Slytherin was blindly chasing the ball and some students went after him. The blunette looked back and saw that the Chasers had already finished their task. Biting her lip she concentrated in looking for the snitch once again. Her eyes were jumping from one side to the other. Her friends were on the stands cheering for her and that's when she saw it. It was near from where Julie was standing.

Not thinking she flew at great speed directly towards her friend. She heard a couple of shouts behind her and knew she would have company real soon, so she pressed her body even closer to the handle. As she approached her friends, she could see the look of confusion in their faces.

"The snitch!" Marucho exclaimed and pointed besides Julie. The Hufflepuff only turned to see the ball and the un-coming students going straight towards her. With a yelp they moved as the golden ball flew away from the blunette. Runo snarled as she turned and without missing a beat flew after the snitch. She sped up after it and she started seeing the ball closer to her hands.

"I'm going to win Misaki!" The voice of Hydron was ringing behind her, but she wouldn't distract herself with it. She went downwards with a sharp turn, making almost everyone loose focus on the snitch but she was still going. She stretched her hand out and then a force knocked her out of her broom. Instantly her body crashed onto the grassy field and a pain shot up on her back. Her head was spinning but she managed to sit up. She could her the distress calls for her name. Suddenly she felt a weird sensation around her hand. Runo turned and her eyes widened. On her right hand was resting the golden snitch.

"I caught it!" She exclaimed with glee as she fist bumped the air. Hydron was now descending on to the ground a full on glare directed at her. Most of the participants were now surrounding her, the Gryffindors and some Slytherins congratulating her. The Slytherin Captain only sent her a smirk but called back his participants.

"You!" Jake Vallory's index finger was now pointing at her. On his face, the brightest smile the blunette had ever seen on someone. He was shooting smirks at Keith Clay but the blonde seemed to ignore the taunts "What is your name?"

"Runo Misaki" She responded and stood up, dusting off her clothes and turning to look for her broom. It was lying not too far away from where she was standing. She went and picked it up with ease as she noticed her brunette friend running towards her.

"Idiot!" Was the first thing out of his mouth but the emotion on his face was another one. He had his usual goofy grin but his aura was full of happiness and bliss. Runo felt her breath hitch at the sight.

"Wait! You're Runo Misaki?!" The voice of the captain snapped her out of her daze. He was suddenly standing next to her, with a face full of awe and surprise. The girl wasn't sure if she had to answer the guy.

"That was amazing Runo!" Dan was now next to her "You should've seen Hydron's face when you caught the snitch" He snickered quite loudly as he turned to send smirks at the blonde boy.

"I wish I could've seen that" The girl muttered and smirked. That definitely would've made her day entirely. Then Jake's hand was in front of her, and his face had a big proud smile.

"You're the new Seeker for the Gryffindor team!" He exclaimed with glee. The blunette felt her mouth drop at the words "I was doubting on telling you right now, but I think it fits the mood" He laughed loudly and crossed his buffy arms over his chest "But as little Kuso here said, that was an amazing performance! We would have to work on you trying not to fall off your broom, but the sharp turns were pretty great!" He started patting her quite hard on the back "Welcome to the team Misaki!"

"That's great Runo! We both made it into the team!" Dan exclaimed besides her. The blunette took a moment to process everything. Then her face was full of shock and surprise.

"Wait! You got in too?!" She exclaimed her lips breaking into a smile.

"What's with the tone of surprise?" The brunette smiled nonetheless "Apparently I was the best out of the participants for Beater since I was able not to hit anyone with the Bludger" He smirked and shrugged.

"Heads up!" Another voice interrupted. Suddenly a firecracker went over Runo's head and it popped in fluorescent lights and emitting strange sounds. The blunette only turned to look at the source where it had come from and just heard Dan and Jake sigh in annoyance.

"Woah that was pretty good Kenta!" A boy with purple hair loudly exclaimed. He was standing at the edge of the Quidditch pitch along with some other older students of the Gryffindor house.

"Thank you Kenji, definitely something to marvel at!" A boy similar to the other one was up on a broom looking down at them. They looked the same in Runo's eyes, the only thing different their hair color; his was orange colored.

"Kenta! Keiji! Stop that, you're going to scare away the new members!" Jake scolded the two guys and frowned. He turned to them with an apologetic smile "Sorry, about that they're a handful" Then he turned to them still scolding.

"Tell me about it" Dan muttered as he sent the boy on the broom a glare. The other boy noticed but only sent him a sweet smile before going towards the boy similar to him. "I haven't told you have I?" Runo only gave him a confused stare and he sighed in defeat as they both started walking behind Jake "Those two are my late cousins. They're from my dad's side of the family but we don't see each other that much" He started scratching his head "But well as you can see they're both on the Gryffindor team. They're the reason I'm being called little Kuso by most of the older students and they're a nuisance"

"Oh yes we are!" The one with purple hair was now in front of her with a mischievous smile. Runo was suddenly pulled back by her arm and stood next to Dan, his face more annoyed by the second.

"Oh would you look at that Kenji?" The one with orange hair now dropped to the floor with a grin on his lips "So, this is the girl our little cousin has been hanging out with?"

"Seems like that Kenta" The two of them approached her, and she honestly felt kind of weird at being stared like that.

"Stop it! You're going to scare her!" A girl with ash brown hair and blue eyes intervened, giving the pair a death glare. They both only backed away, muttering something to themselves.

"Okay people gather around!" Jake's voice snapped them back to reality. Everyone made a circle around him as he cleared his throat "I have already decided who our new recruits will be" He motioned for Runo and Dan to step forward "Runo Misaki will be our new Seeker and little Dan Kuso will be our new Beater" The brunette only gave a glare at his cousins who in turn just shrugged innocently. "Guys, this is the current Gryffindor Team, as you know I'm Jake Vallory, Fourth Year and I'm the Captain and the Keeper" The captain proudly smiled.

"I'm Taylor Harada, Fifth Year, and I'm one of the Chasers" The girl with ash brown hair smiled brightly as she introduced herself.

"I'm Casey Miyasaka, Seventh Year and I as well am one of the Chasers, and the oldest one here" A boy with golden eyes and spiky blue hair said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And we are!" Dan's cousins linked arms with each other "Kenta and Keiji Kuso! Both Fourth Years" They twirled in their place as they introduced themselves. "I'm a Beater" Kenta announced smugly "And I'm a Chaser" Keiji responded and finished with a pose. Runo hoped that she wasn't the only one confused by their strange behavior.

"Alright enough with the show" Jake commanded with an un-amused tone of voice "Okay so this is the current Gryffindor Quidditch team, remember practices are three times a week after school, I'll post the schedules on the Gryffindor Common Room" He clapped once more and then turned to the youngest recruits "And once again welcome to the team!" The other members clapped and cheered for them. Runo felt blood rose over her cheeks during the moment.

* * *

"You guys! That was amazing!" Julie exclaimed and released a laugh. After the chat with the Quidditch team, Runo and Dan had managed to change out of their training clothes into their usual uniforms and stored their respective brooms on the broom closet of the Gryffindor locker room. Julie, Alice and Marucho met up with them after the tryouts and everyone was currently in their way towards the Black Lake.

"You should be more careful about falling off your broom Runo" The redhead warned as she gave her friend a stern look "But I'm happy you both got into the Quidditch team though"

"Oh come on Alice nothing bad happened" The blunette tried brushing off the comment but her friend was still giving her the look "I mean it was Hydron's fault for pushing me once"

"Actually he did it twice" Marucho perked up "I mean-n, I saw him tip your broom upwards at the end of the practice and that's why you fell down" The boy looked like he was still nervous to be talking or even walking among them.

"That little sneaky rat" Runo muttered under her breath, trying to calm down the rage she felt for the Slytherin. She seriously hoped that he wouldn't be picked as the Slytherin Seeker.

"Oh come one Runo, you beat him! Ohohohoh! But don't get your hopes up, Hufflepuff is going to win the Quidditch cup this time!" Julie twirled as they continued to walk.

"Yeah right, with us two on the team, we're so going to win!" Dan exclaimed proudly. Runo only nodded in support and shot the silver haired girl a taunting smile. Julie only stuck her tongue out at her and proceeded to argue with the brunette.

"Are they always this excited about Quidditch?" Marucho asked in curiosity as he looked at the pair still arguing with one another.

"Dan is usually the one pumped up for this though, Julie I'm kind of surprised" Runo commented as she turned to the pair. She stopped mid-step once she noticed the silver haired girl grabbing onto the brunette's arm.

"Something wrong Runo?" The blonde asked with concern and Alice turned to look at her.

"Nope, I'm fine" She answered and looked the other way not noticing the teasing smile the redhead was giving her. Before they knew it they were approaching a certain oak tree that was at the edge of the Black Lake. The group left their bags at the tree and sat down on the grass. The blunette let out a sigh of relief as she stretched her arms over her head.

"Hey wasn't Shun going to try out for the Slytherin team as well?" Alice asked as she took out a heavy book from her bag and looked at Dan. Marucho sat near her, but his eyes were drifted off, admiring the Black Lake, his face full of awe. Julie was sitting next to the brunette, occasionally looking at him.

"Yeah he was, but I don't know what happened" He sat cross legged on the grass and messed up his hair even more "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Shun that much lately…" He had a look of concern on his face.

"Oh but you know how he is!" Julie tried cheering him up "He always appears when you least expect it! Maybe he's been busy with other stuff" She had a bright cheerful smile on her lips but the Dan and Alice still looked concerned.

"Who is this person you're talking about?" Marucho turned to them, confusion and concern across his features.

"Oh he's a friend of ours, but we lately haven't seen him around" Alice commented still with a look of worry on her eyes "He's quite independent on his own, but still…"

"He's in Slytherin and in the same year, and surprisingly good at Transfiguration and Potions" Dan commented as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared deep in thought at the grass.

"Well he sounds like he can manage pretty good on his own" The blonde commented bluntly "I-I mea-an it's normal to worry but maybe just talking things out could be the solution" The worried pair looked at Marucho with a bit of a shock.

"Yeah we shouldn't worry too much about him" Runo waved it off "Like Julie said, maybe he has been busy. Don't worry too much" She smiled until a laugh made her stop. The girl turned and her face turned into a scowl.

"Don't worry about Kazami, he finally realized who's a better company" Hydron Prince commented bitterly as he approached them. He had another two Slytherin students following him that Runo hadn't seen before. One had light brown hair and slightly taller than the rest, while the other one was shorter than them and had dark brown spiky hair. They were both besides Hydron, as if they were his bodyguards.

"What the bloody hell do you want Prince?" Dan asked a frown already in his face.

"Oh nothing, just here to gloat about my new position on the Slytherin Team" He shot Runo a dirty look but she only scoffed.

"Like we care, now go away!" The blunette exclaimed with annoyance; She was irked by the thought of being near him. Alice now had put her book down and was glaring full on at the Slytherin, while Julie tried to calm her friends down.

"Unlike you Misaki my father has enough power here to afford me the best." The blonde's lips twisted into a dark smirk "Oh but you know it's true, the statement about Kazami"

"Like hell Shun would do that!" The brunette was now standing up, his face full of anger. The blunette swore she could see fire coming out of the boy's eyes. The only response Prince did was laugh in front of him. Now Runo was stood up as well.

"If you're here to only spread out lies then you better leave Prince" The girl glared at the boy. He stopped laughing and glared back at her while approaching her.

"Look here Misaki-" He was about to continue until someone intervened between the two. Surprised Runo turned to look at the person and even more of a shock was when she saw the short blond boy glaring at Hydron.

"Hey you! Um, bully!" Marucho said with a nervous and trembling voice "Stop saying such bad rumors!" Runo's eyes widened at the bravery of the blonde. Impressed was a better word for what she was feeling.

"I can say what I want, when I want!" Hydron snarled at the boy "And who are you even to talk to me?" Runo was about to intervene but Marucho answered with confidence before she could even open her mouth.

"I'm Marucho Maruka, and at least no one on the Gryffindor Team had to buy their way in, unlike some" The boy said bluntly and the blunette didn't even hide her grin after the statement. Prince's face went red in anger.

"Why you?!" His nostrils were flaring and Runo saw a flash of recognition across his eyes as he looked at the blond. Suddenly his face turned into a dark smirk and he lowered down enough to be at and eye level with Marucho "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little _Mudblood_ "

Runo instantly knew that Hydron had said something out of place. The two guys behind him had nervous smiles over their lips and the girl swore they wanted to leave the place. Julie gasped loudly and yelled at a boy a loud profanity. In an instant she was by their side still yelling at Prince as he backed away with a nervous face. Alice had shock written all over her face, but she still looked pissed. The redhead had stood up and taken out her wand. Before she could even flick it, a spell had crashed onto Hydron's upper body and he had been sent flying into the grassy floor. Dan had conjured the spell, a furious look all over his face. When Prince tried to sit up he started vomiting for no big reason. Runo looked in amusement and disgust as he started throwing up what seemed to be slugs. Without hesitation the brunette boy was already in front of the Slytherin, wand pointing at his chest.

"I swear if you use that word again, I'll make sure you don't only end up barfing slugs" Dan warned him and Hydron only kept on throwing up the dirty animals.

"What happened here?!" The voice of Professor Klaus broke through the confrontation. He quickly rushed to the fallen boy, the two other Slytherins trailing behind him. He was wearing similar set of robes but in colors of rich green and wine. The professor was about to kneel but once noticing the state he was in thought better of it. "Mr. Kuso care to explain what happened to, um…" The professor made a face of disgust as Hydron threw up a couple of more slugs "…Mr. Prince?"

"He called my friend a derogatory term" Dan had a fierce glare on his face as he looked at Hydron "And I wasn't going to let him get away with it"

"I see…" Professor Klaus commented as he gave a slight pat on the blonde's back, a face of disgust on his face "I know you were defending your friend and all of that Mr. Kuso, but you can just take justice in your hands" Runo's eyes widened at the statement the professor had just made. Even the brunette looked surprised by the words coming out the man's mouth "I'm sorry but minus 20 points from Gryffindor and I'll see you in detention Monday night" He sighed, and almost looked as if he regretted doing it but turned to the pair of Slytherins "You two, accompany me and carry Mr. Prince to the Hospital Wing, so his barfing problem can be resolved!"

In an instant the pair of boys hoisted Hydron up and trying not to barf as well carried him inside the castle. The Professor only sighed and followed after them, head held high as he directed them the way to go.

"Well that was unexpected" Dan commented in a light-hearted tone of voice. Runo noticed that he in fact was smiling from ear to ear and she couldn't help but to do the same.

"I'm so sorry Dan!" Marucho exclaimed out of nowhere and started bowing in front of the brunette "If it weren't for me interfering, you wouldn't have detention!" The brunette only started laughing and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey no worries little guy, it was actually pretty brave what you did there" The blond looked up at the brunette, surprise on his eyes "And I mean I wasn't going to sit here and let Hydron talk that way about you"

"But why would you do that for someone like me?" Runo's eyes widened once the blond asked.

"Well we're friends aren't we?" Without missing a beat Dan answered with a small frown on his eyebrows "I mean that's what friends do" Marucho's eyes widened. They were full of joy and surprise.

"Was it that bad?" Runo asked as everyone's eyes turned to her "I mean what Hydron called Marucho" She didn't even remember the word anymore but if it had that big of an impact on everybody, she supposed it was really a bad word.

"After he told me I supposed it was really bad" Marucho agreed with her "But I don't know what it means or even if it was that bad"

"It was bad" Julie spoke up, a frown covering her face as she remembered the event "Just thinking about it makes me want to strangle him!" She made a motion with her hands out of frustration.

"It's about the most insulting thing he could think of" Alice said as she saved her wand inside her robes. Her eyes seemed to be thinking of something else and Runo could tell that she was angry and worried about the situation " _Mudblood_ , the nerve to say something like that" She spat the word like it was venom on her tongue.

"You see, _mudblood's_ a really foul name for someone who is muggleborn, you know non-magic parents" Dan started explaining as he as well hid his wand on his back pocket "There are some wizards, like the Prince's family, who think they're better than the rest of us because they're what people call pureblood, meaning both magic parents" They all sat down once again in the grass as the chatting continued.

"It's a disgusting thing to call someone" Alice commented with anger lacing her voice "Dirty blood, common blood, it's utterly ridiculous" She finished as she crossed her arms over her chest and tried relaxing once again.

"Like Alice said it's disgusting and ridiculous that someone could think like that" Dan finished as he sighed "I mean most wizards nowadays are half-bloods. If wizards hadn't married muggles, we would've died out in a few years"

"It's horrible that people are so close minded about that" Julie pouted "Like if blood is going to make us better than some people, please!" She exclaimed exasperated. Now Runo understood why they all argued back. She agreed with them all the way. It was stupid that someone could think like that. Maybe that's a reason as to why Hydron thinks he's better than everybody else.

"That stupid git" The blunette muttered under her breath. She made a mental note that next time she saw him, she would be the one jinxing him first.

"Well, I'm very grateful to you" Marucho commented, now his face more serious than before as the impact of the words started to sink in. He looked up to Dan and smiled in gratitude "Thank you very much" Dan only grinned the same as always.

"No worries little guy" The rest of the day was spent sitting and talking at the oak near the Black Lake. It was moment's like this that made Runo grateful for being in Hogwarts. The sun started to set and the group of friends was forced to pick their things up and head towards the Great Hall and eat. They said their farewells once they got to their respective house tables and separated.

Runo sent a look towards the Slytherin table seeing that Hydron was still missing. She smirked quite devilishly and was about to turn to talk to Fabia until a sight caught her eye. It was the first time she had seen Shun after the first day of classes. She was tempted to wave and greet him, but he hadn't noticed that she was looking at him. He looked very tired and drained out. The blunette's eyes furrowed in confusion as she noticed big bags under his eyes and he looked paler than before. When she was about to call to him, the boy suddenly stood up and left the Great Hall without glancing back. She bit on her lower lip. She knew she had told her friends that they shouldn't worry too much about Shun, but seeing him like that made her concerned. She turned to continue talking with Fabia, her mind hoping that the Slytherin would be alright.

* * *

"Eh? He's in detention right now?" Fabia asked as she looked around the Great Hall. The weekend had passed and Monday was already reaching its end. Most of the students were already at the Great Hall eating their respective dinner and chatting away their day. Runo sat in front of Fabia and Chan Lee as she told them that Dan had detention tonight. She looked around before wrapping some cookies and little pies in a napkin and stuffing them in her robes. If the brunette was still in detention with Klaus Knight she was sure he wouldn't get to eat anything.

"I know Kuso is kind of an idiot but why is he on detention?" Chan Lee asked quite interested in the topic as she continued to eat from her plate. Runo bit on her apple and explained what had happened during the weekend, making the two girls turn to glare at the blond sitting at the Slytherin table. Hydron had been able to recover on Sunday but rumor was that every now and then he would throw up a slug at the middle of a class.

"He's the worst I swear" Fabia commented and turned to look at the blunette "And Dan was the one who got detention?"

"Professor Klaus said that it was because Dan hexed him, but I still think Hydron should've been the one punished" Runo huffed angrily as she finished off her food. She sent a look at the Slytherin table and Shun wasn't around. If she remembered correctly, she hadn't seen him step a foot in here during the day. She let out a breath of air as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Chan Lee asked with curiosity. Fabia looked up to her as well.

"I'm going to look for Dan. I'm sure Professor Knight is capable of keeping him up all night, I'll see if I can distract him" She waved to her friends "I'll see you back at the Common Room!" And with that she turned and walked away from the Great Hall. If she remembered correctly Professor Knight's office was on the second floor of the Hogwarts castle, next to the DATDA classroom. Releasing another sigh the girl sped up her step in the stairs as she headed towards it. Reaching the second floor the blunette headed straight towards the office until a slithering sound stopped her.

Runo frowned as she looked around. She was the only one on the floor and then she heard it again. The girl gripped onto the stonewall, her eyes wide as she tried to hear the thing again. She looked around once again until a faint whisper reached her ears.

" _Kill…time to kill_ " It started saying and Runo felt her stomach doing summersaults. She backed away from the wall as the voice started to move away from her. With her heart hammering in her chest, she started running through the whole second floor, forgetting all about her brunette friend.

 _"…Sooo hungry…for so long…"_

Runo turned her head in both ways, trying to see something in the dim lit floor. Nothing was out of place in her eyes as she kept on running. Where was the voice coming from? What was it talking about? And why wasn't anyone coming to search for it as well?

 _"…I smell blood…I SMELL BLOOD"_ The blunette covered her ears as the voice started shouting in madness. She stopped for a moment, trying to regain her breath and clear her mind. The voice was still screaming, making her head hurt in an incredible amount. Runo was panting in effort as she continued to run, in whichever direction. It didn't matter anymore she just had to find out what was happening. Suddenly the voice stopped and her mind was free from the torture. That only made her terror rise up. She continued to run until she was face to face with a deserted passage. She was panting as she gripped onto the wall for support.

"What the hell…" She whispered to herself as she looked at the wall far ahead. Her stomach almost dropped. At the end of the passage the windows were illuminating a set of foot high words that had been written with some sort of red ink. She carefully approached it, her scar sending tingles down her body.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

A huge amount of water was beneath those letters and Runo could smell a foul stench coming from them. What was going on? She walked slowly towards it, trying not to slip on the water until she noticed something on one of the torch brackets. She released a gasp once her eyes adjusted to the sight, almost making her lose her footing.

A black cat was hanging by the tail from the torch bracket. It was stiff, not moving, not even blinking. Its eyes were wide and Runo could sense fear coming from them. She looked around once again. No one was around, but how did that happen? Who could've done it? She looked up towards the cat once again unsure of what was she supposed to do. Then a bell was heard from downstairs. The students were leaving the Great Hall quite fast and before she could even escape the place, the hallways were flooded with students trying to get to their Common Rooms.

Runo was in the middle of it once the students noticed the words and the hanging cat. They all stopped at once, terrified faces looking up at the cat's body and reading over the letters. Some students where watching her with horrid eyes, as if she was the one who could've done it.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" A well-known voice yelled through the quiet. From a crowd of students, Hydron Prince walked proudly out of it as he stood with a grin, looking in triumph at the immobile cat.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! So I almost made it in time for the monthly update but oh well it's something haha I really liked how this chapter turned out tbh and Dan and Runo did make it into the Gryffindor Quidditch Team! Also in this story Kenta and Keiji are the twins from one of Bakugan's episodes, they are supposed to be Dan's late cousins and I didn't introduce them earlier since just now did I mention the Quidditch Team. And I think you can agree with me that Hydron is a total git, even though he's the counterpart of Draco, I liked Draco Malfoy a whole lot better than this guy. Also things for Runo will only get more confusing and dangerous from this point on of the Second Year, haha**

 **For the next update, as always I'll try to have it by next month or earlier, but this time I can't promise much. My final projects come up like a month before we actually leave school and they're a handful, so I don't think I'll have too much time on my hands to be able to write freely (Not for ABHS or MBB, sadly) but I'll try to do the best I can! Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter like I did writing it, and if you have any comment or question leave a review or PM to let me know! Have a great week!**


	12. Second Year: Secret Within the Castle

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- The Secret Within the Castle**

"Elico!" A voice broke through the crowds. Runo was still shocked, not moving from her position as she saw a girl with short aquamarine hair and eyes, uniform of the Ravenclaw house, walking straight towards her. She had pale skin and her eyes were full of malice. Before the blunette could even register it, the girl had grabbed the collar of her uniform.

"What did you do to my Elico?!" The girl screamed in Runo's face. The blunette's eyes were wide with surprise as the older girl just kept on snarling at her. Runo tried to tear of her hands away from her clothes but the girl wasn't budging. In a sudden movement the Ravenclaw had pushed Runo's back onto the stone wall "I'm going to ask again, what did you do to my Elico?!"

"The cat was like that when I arrived!" The girl said back, still struggling to get out of the hold of the older girl. Runo felt her throat burning. The girl was still pushing her back, and in effect the blunette was unable to breathe properly. "Let me go! I didn't do anything!"

"What is the meaning of this?!" An older man's voice broke through the crowd of murmurs, taking everything to silence. Instantly Runo was dropped to the floor. The girl managed to hold on to the wall, before crashing down on her knees. She sent a glare towards the short haired girl. Professor Gehabic broke through the crowd of students, an evident frown on his face. His eyes filled with shock and surprise once he noticed the hanging cat. Then he turned to the two girls "What is the meaning of this Miss Farrow?"

"This girl here murdered my cat!" She spat with her voice "She was here before any of us, so she must've done it!" The girl was now glaring full force at Runo. The blunette gritted her teeth and clenched her fists "My poor Elico" The Ravenclaw moved towards her pet, whispering words to it, but the cat was stiff as ever.

"I didn't do it! It was like that when I got here!" She argued back. Professor Gehabic walked towards her and started inspecting her. The blunette turned her eyes to the cat. It was still hanging from the tail, unmoving and eyes wide. She bit on her lower lip as she tried to think about the solution to all of this.

"Miss Farrow" The voice of the headmistress rang across the room. The crowd of students parted as Wyvern walked in front, followed by several other teachers, including Tigrerra. In a swift movement, Professor Wyvern had detached the cat from the torch and was holding her gently in her arms. "Students go to your rooms!" Then she turned her gaze towards the two girls "Miss Farrow and Miss Misaki will you please follow me"

A massive groan was heard from the students as they were being dragged away from the scene towards their respective Common Rooms, as Runo followed after the headmistress. She was going to be in so much trouble. She felt the urge to scratch over her scar but fought it as she walked behind Tigrerra.

"My office is the closest headmistress, if you would like-" Klaus Knight piped in, excitement in his voice, as he followed Professor Wyvern and the rest of the group.

"Thank you Klaus" Was the only thing that came out of Wyvern's mouth as they entered the professor's office. Klaus Knight looked like a puppy wiggling his tail in excitement as he lit up a series of candles in his office. Runo made a frown as she noticed the hundreds of self portraits hung up on the wall. Most of the office was filled with books and articles about the man, except for his desk and chair. There, Dan Kuso was filling out a series of photographs for the professor. One the brunette looked up, he had a look of surprise on his face.

"Ah Mr. Kuso, would you please go back to your Common Room, there are some manners that we need to discuss here" The headmistress spoke fluently. Startled the boy only nodded as best as he could as walked towards the exit. Runo and Dan made eye contact. He mouthed the words 'What happened?' but the girl only responded with 'Talk to you later'. The brunette only gave her a confused glance but exited the office nonetheless, looking back at her with a worried expression.

The headmistress laid the body of the cat on the polished desk. She looked at it closely, her hand poking and touching the animal's fur. Tigrerra was next to her a worried expression on her face and Professor Skyress was also poking the animal, reciting a few words under her breath. Professor Gehabic was next to the Ravenclaw student, trying to calm her down, but the girl kept on sending Runo death glares. Klaus Knight was pacing from one side of the room to another one, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her – probably the Transmorgifian Torture – I should've been there to stop it…" Professor Knight kept on rambling as Runo stood there awkwardly looking between Tigrerra and Professor Wyvern. The headmistress took out her wand and recited a couple of words, but the cat was still lying motionless on the desk. The owner of the cat looked furious and kept sending Runo glares at every chance she'd get, as her Head of House would try to calm her down.

"Don't worry Miss Farrow, your cat is not dead" The headmistress announced as she straightened up. Klaus Knight piped up with an 'I knew it!' from the background as he kept rambling to himself.

"But why is she all stiff and frozen Professor Wyvern?" The girl asked, her voice not quavering one bit. Runo was really starting to think that the girl was some sort of robot, programmed not to feel any emotion besides anger.

"She has been petrified" The woman said softly. All heads turned to the headmistress, full of surprise and shock "But as for how, I'm not quite sure…"

"Ask her!" The Ravenclaw pointed towards Runo, an accusatory glare followed after that "She was the only one in that corridor before anyone else! She's responsible!" She shrieked, face full of fury and anger. The blunette only gulped down her nerves and prepared to answer back.

"No second year could've done this Miss Farrow" The headmistress said with a finality to her voice "It is Dark Magic far too advanced for a girl like Miss Runo" The older girl looked like she wanted to say more but Professor Gehabic cut her off, a tiny smile making his way onto his lips.

"Perhaps that is the case Headmistress Wyvern" A sly tone taking his voice "Maybe Miss Runo was at the wrong place at the wrong time" He added and Runo couldn't help but to suppress a shiver going down her spine as the man talked "But we do have a series of suspicions here. What were you doing at the corridor at all?"

"I was at the Great Hall and went to look for Dan Kuso" The blunette straightened up as the words flew from her mouth "It was getting late and he hadn't eaten anything yet, so I looked for him"

"But if I recall Mr. Kuso was in detention with Professor Knight for injuring a Slytherin student" He added as he walked around her in circles "And besides the corridor is far from where the office is located"

"I got lost along the way" She lied easily. The girl bit on her lower lip. As if she was going to tell them she was going crazy, hearing voices and all.

"Ah but Runo I have showed you where my office is countless of times!" Klaus knight added with a tone of delight. Professor's Gehabic smiled widened and Runo's stomach dropped.

"I may suspect that Miss Runo isn't being that truthful Headmistress" The elder said as he turned to the rest of the teachers. The Ravenclaw student was still glaring at the back of her head, Runo started to think she would make a hole in it. Professor Wyvern was looking at her with curiosity as if she was searching for the truth in her eyes. Tigrerra was looking at her, but with a worried expression.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Michael" The headmistress said with a final tone on her voice. The Potion's Professor face turned furious and so did his student.

"My cat was petrified Headmistress!" The Ravenclaw snarled back. Most teachers now where frowning at her attitude towards Wyvern, but the woman dismissed it. The girl was about to say more but she saw the look her Head House was giving her and shut her mouth.

"Your cat can be cured Miss Farrow" Professor Wyvern said with a calm voice "Professor Preyas just planted several Mandrakes. As soon as they matured, Professor Gehabic will have the potion to revive your cat" She then turned to the blunette and with a small smile added "You may go Miss Runo"

The blunette didn't need to be told twice. She walked out of the room as fast as she could. Once she made it to the corridor, she didn't waste no time and ran towards the Gryffidnor Common Room. She had to tell Dan about what happened. And give him the cookies as well.

* * *

"Didn't you hear apparently she killed a cat a few days ago!"

"The Ravenclaw Quidditch Team Captain is more aggressive than before! Without her cat she is mercilessly training the team!"

"Avoid the blunette at all costs who knows what will happen if you cross her path"

The murmurs where really starting to get to her now. Everywhere Runo went the students would start whispering among themselves. And today was not the exception. A few days had passed since the cat incident, but it was still fresh on the student's minds. The Ravenclaw girl glared at her every time they crossed paths and even tried to confront her about the matter but Runo would just avoid seeing her at all.

Her housemates were no better. They would constantly pester her with questions about the writing on the wall. And she repeated the same thing over and over again. The only people who knew what had happened and what she had heard where her small group of friends. Julie was the one who suggested not telling about the creepy voice sounding in her head, something about more bad luck.

The walk towards the History of Magic classroom had been the same as the past days. Students murmuring about her, new rumors going around about her, and the girl left fuming with the whole situation. Dan would only shoot glares at the people talking the loudest and at least it made them shut up.

"Now students 'The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards' was an European wizarding organization operating across continental Europe…" Professor Golem explained with a droning sound of voice. Almost all of the students where already sleeping at their desks, their heads rested on the wooden surface. Runo was no exception. She was interested in History of Magic, but with a professor like Professor Golem it made you sleepy and unfocused without a beat. Dan was sitting next to her, trying his best not to look sleepy, but failing as his head dropped every now and then.

The difference was with the Ravenclaw students, especially her two friends. Alice and Marucho where happily nodding in excitement and scribbling down notes as the professor continued talking. Some where the exception like Mira Clay who was lulled into a deep slumber by the professor and Lync Volan who was entertaining himself with the inker on his desk.

Runo really wondered how did her friends manage to stay so upbeat during the class. Her head was resting on the palm of her hand, but she felt her eyelids dropping every now and then. She could hear a faint snoring coming from one of her Gryffindor housemates. Then something caught her eye. Alice was currently with her hand high up in the air, a nervous smile gracing her face. Runo's eyes furrowed in confusion as she watched Professor Golem stop in the middle of his monologue.

"Is something the matter, um Miss…?" The professor said with uncertainty. The blunette could clearly see the doubt and shock in his figure. She was shocked as well; never in a previous class had someone interrupted him and she never expected Alice to be the first one.

"Gehabic, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets" The redhead said in a clear voice. Runo's interest immediately picked up. And so did everyone else's. Now most of the students where standing up straight in their seats, exchanging looks between the professor and Alice.

"I teach History of Magic" The professor opposed "I teach facts, not myths and legends Miss Gehabic" He was about to continue rambling about the previous topic but once he saw the looks of interest by the students, he was held back "But in sight of current events, I think it's safer to speak about this" He cleared his voice and now Runo was sure everyone was looking at him.

"As you all know, Hogwarts was founded thousands of years ago by four great witches and wizards of the age. The houses of Hogwarts bear their names in honor: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Together they built this school far away from the muggles eyes, since during that time witches and wizards suffered from persecution." He kept looking around the room. Every student was now giving him full attention to his words "For some years, the founders worked in peace and harmony, bringing education to the youngsters new in magic. That was until the persecution of the wizard folk became more and more dangerous for everyone. A rift began to grow among them. Salazar wanted to be more selective of the students admitted to Hogwarts. He had the idea that magic should've been kept amongst wizard families. An argument rose between Gyrffindor and Salazar, ending in Slytherin leaving the castle."

"Based on historical facts, it is said that Slytherin left behind a chamber, unknown to the other founders. According to legend, Salazar sealed this chamber, now know as the Chamber of Secrets, and only his true heir would be able to open it. The heir would unleash the horror within the chamber and use it to banish all of those unworthy to study magic."

A heavy silence filled the room. Runo was watching with wide eyes as some of the students shifted uncomfortably on their respective seats. Everyone wanted to know more about the chamber. Professor Golem looked nervous as well, talking about something he didn't even believe in. The blunette started scratching her scar, if the chamber indeed existed, the school would be in serious trouble now.

"It's pure nonsense that's what it is" The professor talked with a gruff voice "The castle has been searched many times and not once have they found this 'Chamber of Secrets'. It is a legend that has been roaming a long time, who knows what it is truth and what isn't." Several hands shot up in the air but the professor brushed them away in an irritated manner "No such thing exist students!"

"Professor what do you mean by the horror within the chamber?" Alice asked out of the whole commotion.

"It is said to be some sort of creature that only the heir of Slytherin would be able to control" The professor responded, opening his book once again to start rambling again about the 'The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards'. More hands shot up in the air.

"It is nonsense students! It has never been found such chamber! Many headmasters and headmistresses have looked for it but never found a single thing! Now, let's go back to the real topic of this class, history" He shut the hands down within a second. Runo was seriously starting to get worried now. Her mind started thinking about the chamber even more. And if such thing existed, it must mean that the heir was at Hogwarts now.

'Someone who wants to banish the muggleborns from the school' She thought as Professor Golem started explaining once again. Everyone returned to their first positions and zoned out of the class, but the blunette's mind was racing. There was only one person she could think of that wanted the muggleborns out of the school; Hydron Prince.

* * *

"It has to be him!" Runo exclaimed exasperated. Classes had ended and she and her friends had sat down on one of the tables at the library. Dan was nodding eagerly beside her, Alice still looking unconvinced, Marucho was actually reading the book of 'Advanced Potions' while Julie was looking at her nails, piping up at the conversation every once in a while.

"By far the only person we know that thinks that muggleborns are scum is Hydron" Dan said loud and clear, not caring of who was hearing him or not. Runo crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at the redhead.

"I know Hydron despises the muggleborns" Alice commented, her face full of concentration "But being Slytherin's Heir? I doubt it"

"Think about his family Alice" The blunette piped in again "All of them have been in Slytherin before. He's always boasting about it. And his father is evil enough to know that he might be the heir"

"Point taken, according to my dad Zenoheald Prince worked with…" Dan now leaned in to whisper "He worked with You-Know-Who back in the days. Who knows what else has he done" Alice was now biting her lower lip, not sure about the accusation.

"I wouldn't doubt that Hydron is actually the heir" Julie piped in as she stretched out her arms "Like Runo and Dan said, he hates the muggleborns and you heard what he said when the writings appeared Alice 'You'll be next Muddbloods!', if that doesn't scream suspect I don't know what does" She had a serious look on her face now, tapping on the wooden table out of nervousness.

"It is a possibility…"Alice mumbled out "But how can we prove that he's in fact the Heir of Slytherin?" The girl inquired. The blunette pouted as she started to think of a plan.

"We could ask Shun!" Dan had a grin now on his face. Everyone looked back at him, skeptical looks on their faces. His grin almost vanished from his lips "What's with the faces?"

"Do you really think Shun would help us?" Julie was the first one to speak. She had a look of worry now on her face. Runo sighed as she brushed off her hair.

"I haven't seen him since we talked at the Hogwarts Express…" The blunette commented an annoyed expression already coming it's way to her face. She had been trying to get in contact with the raven boy once again, but he would vanish out of nowhere and in cases even ignore her.

"Same here…" Alice added with a look of concern in her eyes. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and bit on her lip once again. The redhead looked extremely worried now "I've tried talking to him but I have a feeling he's been ignoring me" Marucho only kept on reading and zoned out of the conversation.

"I'm sure he has a lot of stuff on his mind" Dan tried to cheer them up but failed. The brunette scratched his head and let out a frustrated sigh. Runo watched as he plopped down on the chair next to her a frown on his face.

"Something bothering you?" She inquired. The boy looked briefly at her before ruffling his messy mop of hair.

"It's just that I haven't seen Shun in quite a while as well. I've tried looking for him but it's like he always vanishes or something" The boy slouched on the chair, worry and frustration filling his eyes "I thought that you guys would have better luck on talking with him" The blunette sighed once again and started patting his head. She watched his eyes go wide with surprise and didn't notice a redness starting to appear at the tip of his ears.

"I'll be alright" She tried saying it in a comforting voice "We'll try and talk with him"

"Anyways!" The brunette stood up from the chair quickly, startling the blunette. His back was to her, and so she was unable to see the redness on his cheeks "If I have any luck I'll contact Shun and update him on what's happening!"

"Guys I think I have an idea on how to know if Hydron is indeed the Heir of Slytherin" Marucho suddenly looked up from his book, a bright smile on his face. Everyone urged him to continue on, as he turned the page of the book towards them. There was an illustration of a glass vial with a dark liquid inside of it, and a series of instructions beside it "This might be our ticket to finding out"

"'Polyjuice Potion'?" Alice inquired as she edged closer to the book and quickly read the contents of the page "This is a very advanced potion Marucho, and with quite difficult ingredients" The redhead looked skeptical at the idea.

"I know we haven't seen this kind of potion in Potions class but I'm pretty confident that I can manage brewing it" The blonde said with confidence as he flipped the book towards his body "It is only a matter of finding the right ingredients"

"We have to find fluxweed at full moon! We have to get boomslang skin! The potion has to two parts, each with their own steps! Do you understand how complicated that is?" Alice asked. The boy only pouted and kept on reading the pages of the book. Runo's eyes widened at the redhead, she had never seen her this agitated before.

"We can always rummage Professor Gehabic's Potions closet" Runo commented, earning a chuckle from Dan, a glare from the redhead and a small smile from the blonde.

"Question" Julie perked up, now interested in the topic "This potion you guys are talking about, what does it exactly do?" Marucho excitedly cleared his throat and began reading a passage from the book he was holding.

 _The Polyjuice Potion, which is a complex and time-consuming concoction, is best left to highly skilled witches and wizards. It enables the consumer to assume the physical appearance of another person, as long as they have first procured part of that individual's body to add to the brew. The effect of the potion is only temporary, and depending on how well it has been brewed, may last anything from between ten minutes and twelve hours._

"So it basically helps us change our appearance?" Dan asked as he tried to process the whole information about the potion "But how can that helps us know if Hydron is the heir or not?"

"We can find a piece of hair, or something similar, of some of the closest housemates of Hydron" The small Ravenclaw said without looking up, as he took out a piece of parchment from his bag and started to quickly scribble on it.

"It sounds like a good plan to me" Runo suggested. Alice was still biting on her lower lip the blunette could see from her face that she wasn't that sure about the plan. But the girl couldn't deny that this was the first time that Marucho was completely sure about his decision "If you are sure about this Marucho then count me in" The blond looked up from his notes, a nervous smile on his face.

"I'm pretty confident about my potion's skills, the only downsize is that this potion is going to take a month to brew" He commented with a defeated look. Runo could almost see relief flooding Alice's face.

"Well we have enough time to plan out the whole thing then" Dan perked up "Count me in as well, I want to reveal Hydron's true nature"

"Now we have to find a place to brew the potion" Marucho bit on his lip. Runo started thinking as well. A classroom would be too open for everyone to know and in the Common Rooms it was the same. Suddenly Julie stood up from her chair and started packing up her things.

"I know just the place! But you guys have to follow me!" Without questioning, she took hold of Dan's hand and yanked him towards the exit of the library. The brunette managed to pick up his bag as he hurriedly tried to pick up his pace next to the silver haired girl.

"Hey Julie wait!" Runo said annoyed. She quickly stashed everything she found on her bag and jumped out of her chair, trying to catch up with their pace. Marucho and Alice did the same, their hands filled with heavy books and a couple of parchments. The blunette felt a vein popping up on her forehead as she watched Julie and Dan holding hands. She felt like vomiting and a great urge to separate the two. Runo knew that she was frowning as they kept walking to who knows where. They crossed halls and stairs at a quick pace until they stopped in front of a large wooden door. The blunette noticed it was the same hall in which the cat Elico had been petrified, and it only made her frown deepen.

"This is the place!" Julie squealed in delight as she entered the room without a question. Runo only groaned and followed after her. Upon entering the room, she noticed it was one of the most depressing and mossy bathrooms she had ever seen. It had rows of stalls and a circle in the middle of the room with dozens of broken sinks. Runo looked around it. The bathroom looked pretty much empty and old, a cloud of dust on top of most of the furniture. Alice was beside her, stuffing her heavy books on her bag and looking around as well. The blunette noticed that the only two missing where Dan and Marucho.

"What's the hold up you guys?" Julie asked as flung open the door once again. Both boys where stiffly standing next to each other, eyes wide.

"We can't go in there. It's a girl's bathroom" Dan said while pointing to one of the signs outside of the door, the other one being 'OUT OF ORDER'. The Hufflepuff only scoffed and quickly dragged the boys inside of the room. Both of them had faces of horror and embarrassment, trying to look away from the room.

"Harpus? I've come to pay you a visit!" Julie loudly said as she neared towards the stalls. Suddenly water sprouted from one of the stalls and a girl floated into the air. The girl had messy mop of hair and bright, big green eyes. She was wearing what looked like the school's robes and with the Hufflepuff emblem on them. The girl looked pale to the sight as she floated into the air. She frowned as she looked at the group.

"This is a girl's bathroom Julie" She spoke with a screeching voice "Those two can't come in here!" She screeched again as she pointed at Dan and Marucho. The girl sat down on top of one of the stalls as she looked at them again.

"I know that Harpus!" The Hufflepuff said with a bright smile "But I wanted them to see your lovely place in here!" She giggled and approached the pale girl "Guys this is Harpus, she is the ghost of this bathroom!" She announced as if it was the best news of the day. Everyone gave a quiet 'Hello' to the ghost girl, as she proudly nodded.

"Why are you here?" The ghost quickly inquired "I know you want something from me, so spit it out already!"

"Harpus we where wondering if we could use the bathroom for school purposes?" Julie looked at her with hopeful eyes "We won't disturb you, we just want to-" Before the girl could even finish the ghost was already screaming back a 'NO'. Runo was starting to get really annoyed with the attitude of the ghost.

"People always come here to do what they want! They never even consider my feelings!" Harpus wailed as she floated towards the ceiling, a few traces of tears leaving her eyes. The blunette only frowned at the sight.

"But we want to consider your feelings!" The silver head girl wasn't even fazed by the act. She still had a sweet smile on her face as she tried soothing the distressed ghost, and Runo could tell that it was working "We will take in account your feelings and we'll come to greet you whenever you want! Juts let us use the bathroom, okay?" Harpus sniffed some more and gave the girl a simple nod. Runo could feel her eyes widen at the action, as so did everybody else's.

"Just promise me, you'll talk to me when I want" The ghost said in a whiny voice. Julie made a cross over her heart with her index finger and smiled proudly. The ghost didn't do anything more and simply returned to the flooding stall. Runo watched in awe as the water suddenly stopped and the silence reigned inside the room.

"So we can use the bathroom now, just make sure to talk to her" Julie scratched her head in a playful manner. Runo would have to tolerate the ghost's demanding voice and whining for a month. The girl would surely get a headache from both the ghost and Julie's squealing voice.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! Sorry for the super late update, exams and projects continued to pile up and I couldn't even breathe with the pressure school was giving me. But now I'm finally on my summer vacation and I'll be free for around two months or so haha so here's the new chapter! I'm sorry it isn't as exciting as some others have been but I promise the next one is. And if my plans go correctly I can update the next chapter somewhere around the next week, in compensation for the super late update.**

 **Another thing is that in the next chapters I'll try to rush things up a bit, or try to fasten things up a bit so we can finish the Second Year and move on to the other years. I can't help but feel that I've been taking too long on this year, but maybe it's my imagination. Anyways I'll try to update more regularly this story and MBB as well, so I don't keep you guys hanging haha Anyways, if you have any comment or question leave a review or you can PM me! Hope you have a great week!**


	13. Second Year: First Game of Quidditch

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- First Game of Quidditch**

The whole school was in frenzy. Finally the Quidditch season was starting, and it was going to start with the most competitive houses of the four. The first game of the season was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Both houses we're constantly claiming the win, taunting each other in between halls and classes, making the atmosphere the much more exciting.

Runo had to admit that the nerves were starting to get to her. Jake Vallory once he gotten notice that the first team they were up against was Slytherin, he pushed the whole quidditch team in a more restricted regimen of training. The past members were accustomed to his unusual ways, but it couldn't be said the same for both first years. Dan and Runo constantly felt like dying from exhaustion. Their bodies felt like they were about to snap in any second and the lack of sleep was also getting to them. Alice scolded them constantly, trying to get them to calm down but wouldn't achieve anything. Julie was always supportive with them and would give them sweets her parents had sent her from France to cheer them up and Marucho would try giving them hopeful words, but most of the time he would be locked up brewing the Polyjuice Potion.

The blunette brushed her long hair and tied it up in her usual pigtails. Finally the day had come of the first quidditch game. Classes had swiftly ended and most students rushed to the Quidditch Pitch, clearly excited for the game that was about to happen. The girl was currently on the Gryffindor Girl's locker room chatting the time away with Taylor Harada, as they changed from their robes to the quidditch official uniforms. Her hands were shaking that much she knew, but she tried to push her nerves away as she finished putting on her jumper.

"Are you scared Runo?" Taylor asked with a hint of amusement in her voice as she laughed "You shouldn't need to worry, you were great during practices! Just look out for those sharp turns and not falling off the broom, other than that you should be fine!" The fifth year tried to reassure her.

"Yeah thanks" That only made the blunette feel more nervous than before. The practices had gone smoothly most of the time, but she would have a hard time avoiding the Bludgers for coming after her. Other than that she was completely fine. Dan actually had done a better performance than her. He would get in sync with Kenta right away, always hitting the Bludger with ease. The only problem was that he would often slip up in his broom.

A loud whistle was heard outside and the roars of excitement of the audience soon followed after it. Runo gulped down her nerves as she picked up her broom and followed after Taylor to the main locker room. There the rest of the team was standing, brooms in hands, faces full of excitement and nerves. The blunette quickly stood next to Dan who only shot her a wild grin.

"Okay team!" Jake Vallory's voice was full of emotion, his face full of adrenaline "We have gone over the plan for the past weeks and I'm sure that this is our ticket to the win" He looked at each one of the members, as if the game was a matter of life and death "This is the first game of the season and we can't fail our dear housemates! We're going to win this thing!" He shouted, the rest of the team responding with cheers and claps "Let's show the Slytherin team who's the boss!" And with that they all proudly walked out of the locker room and into the gigantic grassy field.

It looked exactly the same as before, with the exception of red and green banners on the sides and an enormous crowd of students and professors at the stands. Runo tried to calm down her breath as the team walked over to the right side of the field. The Slytherin team was walking towards the left side, smirks and confidence full on their faces. The blunette only scowled back once she noticed Hydron Prince.

Professor Skyress was standing at the middle of the field, as being the professor of Flying lessons. Jake and Keith Clay walked towards her, giving each other scowls and smirks on their way. They both shook hands, a little bit harder than they needed to be and broke off.

"On my mark…" The professor spoke loudly enough for the teams to hear her "Now!" In an instant the fourteen students shot up in the air, as the roars of the crowds became more frantic and excited than before. Runo flew higher than her team, trying to find the snitch amongst the game.

"Be careful not to hurt yourself Misaki!" Hydron kept on taunting her, but she only ignored him as she kept looking for the golden ball. Suddenly she saw a Bludger coming straight at her face. She quickly ducked her head, the ball missing brushing the tips of her hair. The object swirled around and came back towards her. She dropped a bit as the ball swished past her, but once again it made a sharp turn and was heading straight towards her.

Without thinking she flew from one side to the other with her broom, but nothing would work on the Bludger. In a swift motion she saw Dan speeding past her and hitting the ball with all of his might to the other side of the field, only for it to swerve right back at her.

"Duck little miss!" Kenta warned her. She did as told as the fourth year hit on the ball, a proud smile almost forming around his lips, until the ball returned to his curse of action. The boy cursed out loud as he tried to hit away once again but nothing happened. Runo tried outrunning the ball but nothing would work. Dan was now by her side, hitting the Bludger away, clearly tired from the extra effort he was making.

"Slytherin in the lead! Sixty Points to Ten…" The voice of Billy Gilbert announced around the field. The blunette bit on her lower lip. If the match continued like this she wouldn't be able to even see the Snitch. Kenta was also next to her, trying to push the ball away.

"This Bludger has been tampered with!" He exclaimed, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. The blunette tried to see the grassy field but with the two boys next to her it was clearly impossible.

"Guys if you are all over me for the rest of the match I won't be able to catch the snitch!" She shouted over the roars of cheering "Leave me alone and go help the others! I'll find some way to get off this thing!"

"Are you out of damn mind?!" Dan said angrily as he hit the Bludger once again "It'll take your head off!" He was being stubborn that much the girl knew. She wanted to reason with him more, but knowing they didn't have time for that, the blunette quickly sped past the two boys as the ball followed after her. The brunette called her name but she ignored it as she swirled, spun and moved from one side of the other to lose the Bludger.

She could hear some laughter coming from the stands. The girl knew she was making a fool of herself but if she stood still who knows what would happen. In a swift motion, the girl ducked as the ball passed her by. She was panting, her hands aching from the strong grip of the broom's handle.

"Training for the ballet Misaki?!" Hydron was a few meters away from her, laughing his head off at the comments. She was forced to do a horrible twirl in the air as the Bludger sped past her. She looked back at the blonde, a comeback already rolling off her tongue until she noticed it. The Golden Snitch was just hanging at the left side of his face and the boy hadn't even noticed it thanks to the insults. The girl kept still trying not to alarm the Slytherin of the presence of the golden ball.

Before she could register it, the Bludger had slammed right into her right arm. She swore she heard a few of her bones crack as the ball hit her elbow. The girl suppressed a scream of pain as the Bludger moved and aimed for her again. Quickly the girl extended her left arm towards the boy's face.

"What are you-?!" He didn't even finish his sentence as the girl grabbed the golden ball, her right arm dangling in a weird position and her legs being the only thing preventing her from falling down. The girl moved too suddenly that her left knee slipped past the broom's handle and she was falling down.

Runo felt the hard impact of the grass, as air left her lungs. Sudden shouts of distress were heard as well an awful lot of whistling. Her right arm was still in a weird position and her broom was lying a few feet away from her. She looked over to her left hand.

"Looks like we won" The Golden Snitch was resting on her hand, safe and sound. A crowd of people huddled around her, clear expression of worry and amazement. She felt like she was going to pass out anytime now, the pain from her arm and the impact on the ground was making her dizzy and about to throw up. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to clear her mind and calm down, but those thoughts were interrupted once she heard the dreading voice of her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Anyone but you" She managed to speak.

"Doesn't know what she's saying" Klaus Knight kneeled right beside her, showing off his pearly whites and taking out his wand. The girl knew that meant trouble "I'm going to fix that arm of yours in no time!"

"I can go to the Hospital Wing!" The girl tried to sit up, but the pain was too much. She felt the man giving her arm a series of taps and reciting some strange set of words. A weird sensation flowed from her shoulder to her fingertips. A series of gasps and loud commotion confirmed her suspicions of trouble. She closed her eyes, not daring to look at her right arm.

"Ah well that happens sometimes" The professor spoke in a nervous matter "I think it is better if you go to the Hospital Wing" She wanted to punch the man right on his nose just for speaking "Ah Mr. Kuso would you please escort her?" The sound of a quick shuffling made her eyes open a little bit. The brunette was next to her in a second, pulling her up with the help of Alice. Without thinking he picked her up, piggy-back style, and draped her left arm over his neck.

Runo dared to open her eyes and the sight almost made her pass out again. Her right arm was now looking like a deflated balloon. She tried moving it, but it wouldn't respond. Alice, Julie and Marucho were now beside her, clear signs of worry on their faces. Jake Vallory had a huge smile on his face, cheering for the victory of his team, while Taylor was being pushed backwards by Casey, who was preventing her from punching the captain. Kenta and Keiji were having a hard time locking up the Bludger on one of Professor's Skyress trunks.

Dan started walking in the direction of the Hospital Wing as her friends followed behind him. She sighed at the sudden events, but smiled nonetheless once she remembered they had actually won the first game of the season.

* * *

"He did what?!" Elfin Rain, the Matron of Hogwarts exclaimed. Runo had just finished telling her what happened and the incident involving Klaus Knight. She had just changed into a set of pajamas at the indications of the woman. She had light blue hair tied up in a neat bun, and a pair of striking green eyes. She looked no older than thirty "The nerve of the man! You should've come to me right away! I can mend bones in a second but re-growing them?" She sounded mad after the girl finished talking.

The blunette didn't say anything else as Elfin helped her lie down on one of the beds at the Hospital Wing. Her friends were currently waiting outside at orders of the matron of the school "Seems like you're going to have to stay the night, and you're in for a rough one that is" The woman commented as she scribbled down on a board she had. Runo groaned at the statement, she was really looking forward to the party back at the common room.

"Growing bones is a nasty business" The matron commented with a sad smile on her face

"Here, drink this" The woman gave her a glass full with a nasty green liquid. The girl scrunched up her face in disgust but did as told, and gulped down all of its contents. The liquid made her throat burn at the contact, making her almost throw it up but held it back.

"But thank you for kicking Slytherin's butt!" She added with a mischievous smile. The blunette grinned back as the woman went to let inside her group of friends. They all scrambled around at the entrance and quickly stood next to Runo in her bed, Alice sitting down next to her on instinct.

"Hey guys" The blunette managed to say, her right arm motionless at her side "Seems like I will have to stay the night" The redhead was shaking her head in disapproval along with Dan, who looked annoyed by something.

"Idiot! You should've let me and Kenta deal with the Bludger, not fly off on your own!" He scolded her, his arms crossed over his chest. The girl obviously got mad after the statement.

"May I remind you that if you two were all over me I wouldn't been able to catch the Snitch?" She said back with the same tone of voice he had used.

"We could've helped you idiot! Who takes on a rogue Bludger on their own?!" The brunette was frowning now, but then he started scratching his head "But we did win because of you" He muttered back, kind of annoyed with his choice of words.

"What was that I couldn't hear you?" The blunette teased her best friend, a toothy grin on her lips. He was about to retort something else, but Marucho intervened between both of them.

"Guys we're in the Hospital Wing! We're not supposed to make too much noise" He said in a distressed tone of voice, as he looked back at Elfin's office. The woman wasn't even paying attention to them, too engrossed on her romance novel.

"Who cares about that though? That was an amazing catch Runo!" Julie exclaimed with glee, almost twirling on her spot "You should've seen Hydron's face, it was such a sight to see!" At the statement everyone's moods lifted up.

"I should've reminded you not to fall off your broom" Alice said with a small smile, that turned into a thoughtful one in a second "What I'm concerned about is the Bludger" She said, her face frowning in concentration.

"I'm pretty sure that Hydron was the one behind it" Runo said back "Another thing we'll have to ask him once we get the Polyjuice Potion"

"Yeah and give a punch to Knight in the process" Dan commented with a grin, Julie almost protesting in horror at the thought "Oh come on Julie, he practically erased Runo's bones!"

"Anyone can make mistakes!" The silver haired girl defended the professor "It helped ease Runo's pain at least" The blunette was about to retort something back, but the doors of the Hospital Wing burst open once again. Sweaty and muddy, there stood the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, enormous grins plastered across their faces.

"Amazing flying Misaki!" Jake Vallory exclaimed "The spins and moves were a bit sloppy at first, but wow you did make a great performance all throughout the game!" He laughed a bit too loudly at the last statement.

"Splendid performance indeed!" Both of the Kuso twins exclaimed, "The emotion, the thrill of the whole game was unbelievable!"

"We just saw Keith Clay scolding the Prince boy back at the field. Something along the lines of being too blind to see the snitch over his bloated head" Taylor laughed at the statement. They all had sweets and cakes with them and with that they all sat down on the nearest beds or chairs around Runo. Time passed by as the whole group chatted away their worries. Both Kenta and Keiji would often joke around and even perform for them, and it would end in laughter. Even Elfin's laugh could be heard from the other side of the room.

The group left around the usual curfew, under orders of the matron. They were sad to leave but they left behind some sweets to Runo, hoping she would get better. Elfin bid her goodnight and went towards her office to get her goodnight's sleep. The girl without waiting closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _"Kill…Time to KILL"_

Runo woke with a start, heart almost leaping out of her chest. She was panting, her forehead sweating like never before as she tried looking around. A pain shot up over her right arm, as if splinters where being pierced around it. The girl bit on her lower lip as she tried to calm down. Then a flicker on her forehead made her eyes snap open.

A distraught yell caught her by surprise, a loud thud followed by it. She tried peering at the floor but the creature suddenly jumped up on her bed once again. The blunette felt her blood boil at the sight of the known creature.

"Areogan?! What are you doing here?!" She whispered quite a bit loudly to the elf. He looked worse than the last time she had seen him, his pointy fingers all wrapped up in messy bandages and a big bruise was already forming at the back of his head. Tears were already forming at the tip of his eyes.

"Mistress Runo really did come to Hogwarts!" The elf exclaimed and proceeded to cry a bit "Why would you do it Mistress Runo? After all the warnings I gave you?" Runo looked back at Elfin's office, but the light was still out. She really wasn't in the mood to talk with the little elf, not after the incident involving the letters.

"Aerogan please calm down" She tried to make him breathe properly again but the elf was too agitated to even notice her or listen "Aerogan I had to come back, you know how badly they treat me back at the orphanage" The elf managed to stand up on his scrawny legs and jump up to her bed, a preoccupied expression on his bugling eyes.

"And here Aerogan thought that his Bludger would be able to send you home-" He slapped his hand over his mouth. Any sympathy Runo was starting to have with the elf was gone in an instant.

" _Your Bludger_?!" She yelled back at him " _You_ sent that Bludger to kill me?!"

"No! Never kill you mistress!" Aerogan said back shocked at the statement "Aerogan only wanted Mistress Runo hurt enough to send you back home" The girl felt something boil inside of her body.

" _Hurt enough_ to send me into that hell hole?!" Runo said back angrily, she could feel a vein popping up on her forehead at the mere suggestion "Aerogan what were you thinking?! You're lucky I' not able to strangle you right now!"

"Oh Mistress Runo Aerogan's only looking after you!" The little elf looked he wanted to cry, as he rubbed the corner of his eyes with his bandages "Aerogan receives five death treats a day, he's used to it by now" The blunette only frowned, almost making her feel bad for the little creature.

"Why are you always wearing that dirty cloth anyway?" She asked with curiosity. The elf almost shocked at the question, looked down at his appearance.

"This is the sign of enslavement Mistress Runo" He said in a quivering voice "Is a reminder of the family we must serve and the only way to be freed is if Aerogan's masters present him a piece of cloth" The blunette stayed silent, debating on what to say next.

"And I don't suppose you could tell me the reason behind sending the Bludger" She plopped once again back into her pillow, an exasperated sigh leaving her mouth. The elf looked back at her, clenching and unclenching his tiny hands. The creature looked now more nervous than before, looking to one side of the Hospital Wing to the other.

"Should Aerogan tell Mistress Runo about it?" He started muttering amongst himself as he shook his head almost instantly "No, no Aerogan cannot let Mistress Runo to stay at Hogwarts!" He now looked at her, eyes full of worry "Runo Misaki mustn't stay here, not now that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again-"

The elf's eyes almost popped out of his sockets. He slapped his hands over his mouth and with the nearest object, being a tiny lamp, he started beating himself up while chanting 'Bad Aerogan!" over and over again.

"So the chamber isn't a myth!" Runo exclaimed with surprise. She managed to edge closer towards the creature and snatch the lamp from his hands "And what do you mean by opened again? It has been opened before?" The elf tried finding an escape route but failing at it. The blunette's mind was racing with thoughts, if the chamber indeed had been opened before, then it could only mean that the attacks…

"Aerogan you have to tell me who opened it!" The girl whispered quite loudly as she took hold of his bony wrists "Please Aerogan, who opened it? Who opened it last time?" The elf had a frantic look on his eyes now.

"Mistress I can't tell, please don't ask Aerogan these questions!" He looked torn in not knowing what to do. The girl seized the opportunity to place far away the little lamp and focus solely on the creature "Mistress Runo has to go back! Bad things are brewing at Hogwarts! She isn't safe!"

"I can't go back Aerogan!" She said back with the same intensity as before "If the Chamber of Secrets is really true, then one of my friends is in grave danger. He's a muggleborn and he'll be attacked!" The image of Marucho getting petrified or worse, killed wasn't helping her calm down. If anything it was making her sound more frantic and nervous.

"Mistress Runo puts her friends before her!" The elf started sobbing loudly, mucus starting to run down from his nose "How noble and brave of you Mistress Runo, if only I could help. But no, Mistress you have to save yourself, if you do not-"

The sound of footsteps made them both stop blabbering. Runo stayed still on her place, her eyes darting towards the Hospital Wing's door. The doorknob started turning in one place to another, and then a loud knock was heard. The sound of a yawn was heard in Elfin's office.

"Aerogan has to go!" The elf said in a hurry "Stay safe Mistress Runo!" And with a loud crack the creature disappeared, and Runo was left grabbing onto thin air. The girl heard the door of Elfin's office open, and quickly slumped back into her bed, heart beating wildly.

The matron of Hogwarts opened the door to the Hospital Wing and soon after a loud gasp was heard from her mouth. A shushed direction was given and before Runo knew it, Professor Wyvern, Skyress and Golem all in their nightgowns entered the room. Between Professor Skyress and Golem they were carrying what seemed to be a statue. They dropped it off with delicacy at one of the beds, the farthest from public view. The blunette pretended to sleep but she still didn't move from her position.

"What happened?" Elfin said horror laced in her voice. The woman moved next to the still object and tried inspecting it, carefully touching his face.

"Another attack" Wyvern said solemnly. The Headmistress had a serious look on her face, looking at the statue as if it contained all of the answers "Golem found him on the stairs"

"He had sneaked past the curfew" Said Professor Golem, a worried tone on his words "He was carrying all sorts of foods and I suspected he wanted to visit Miss Misaki, since he's a big fan of hers" The girl's heart stopped at the moment. What had really happened? She slowly opened her eyes to take a good look at the statue and she almost let out a scream.

A ray of moonlight was lighting up Baron Leroy's face. His eyes were wide with surprise and fear, and at the bridge of his nose rested a big pair of glasses. He was stiff as a board, not moving a single inch from his position.

"He was petrified?" Elfin Rain said after finishing her examination. The professor's solemnly nodded. The matron covered her mouth with her hand, almost as if she was about to cry. Professor Golem was clenching his fists, frustration obvious at the sight of one of his students being a victim of an attack.

"What do you think it means Opal?" Professor Wyvern said, a frown already covering her face. She was staring intently at the Headmistress, awaiting her answer. The silver haired woman straightened up and sighed.

"What you see Ventus" She said back, calmer than Runo would've thought "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened again" Both Elfin and Golem exchanged nervous glances, worry clearly evident on their faces. Skyress's frown only deepened as she looked back at Baron's face.

"But who opened it?" She asked to no one in particular.

"More importantly, how?" Wyvern said back. Both teachers looked back at each other, clear signs of worry and doubt. Runo only bit her lip, a strange tingling going down on her lightning scar. If Aerogan's and Wyvern's testimonies about the Chamber of Secrets being opened again were true, it could only mean that Aerogan's warnings were certain all long. Hogwarts was indeed in deep trouble.

* * *

"Once you finish eating you're ready to go!" Elfin said excitedly as she strode away to her office. Morning had come and Runo was currently sitting on the infirmary's mattress. Her arm was still bandaged but on the bright side her bones had come back. The pain was bearable but according to Elfin she should leave the bandages just for today. She was currently eating a tray of mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs and looked over to Baron's bed. It was still far away from public eye and now a series of white sheets where around the bed. The girl felt a little pang of guiltiness in her chest as she continued to eat her breakfast.

When she finished she quickly changed into her normal set of clothes, after all it was Saturday morning. The girl brushed with her hands her blue locks and tied them up in a messy bun, not minding a bit. She took another long look at where Baron rested before leaving. She wondered what was going to happen after the fact that he had been petrified. With a shake of her head she picked up her wand and left the Hospital Wing.

The girl had been expecting her friends coming to see her in the morning, but seeing that no one was around made her a bit sad. With a sigh she made her way towards the Gryffindor Common Room, to go and tell the Dan what had occurred the night before.

"RUNO!" The voice of Julie snapped her out of her thoughts. Before she could turn the Hufflepuff ended up bumping into her and making them both fall onto the floor.

"Julie, what the hell?!" The blunette managed to ask, a certain jolt of pain coming from her arm. The girl was able to sit up but in an instant was being pulled to her feet by the silver haired girl.

"Runo you need to stop them!" Julie was practically crying now. Tears were streaming down her face and she looked completely nervous "Please you need to make them stop!"

"Wait slow down" The blunette tried to calm down her friend "Stop whom? What happened?"

"Dan and Shun!" The Hufflepuff sobbed on harder than before, letting out little puffs of air, her voice quivering a bit "They're fighting at the Middle Courtyard! Alice is trying to get them to stop but it's not working! Marucho ran off to find a professor but I don't know what to do!"

"Okay calm down!" Runo placed her hand on her shoulder and motioned her to breathe through her nose. The Hufflepuff tried but was failing at doing it "Let's go there then!" Both girls took off in a sprint towards the Middle Courtyard. The blunette tried to think about the whole situation but she couldn't wrap her head around it. Dan and Shun were fighting? They quickly got to the courtyard as some other students filled in the hall to see the whole scene. Dan was practically on the grass being pinned down by Shun. Both of them had bruises and a little bit of blood across their faces. The brunette was holding on to the Slytherin's arms, trying to break away his grip on him. Both of them looked angry and frustrated. Alice was a few meters away from them, a complete look of horror and disbelief across her face. Still she was screaming at them to stop, but the boys weren't listening.

The blunette didn't think twice and ran towards them, whole intention of getting them to stop the pointless fight. The students were still watching the fight as the girl ran towards Shun first.

"Stop it!" She screamed at both of them. The girl tried to push Shun away from Dan's body but the boy wasn't moving "Guys stop this!" The girl was about to try to break them apart once more, until the Slytherin pushed her away. She fell to the grass, almost shocked at the actions of the boy. The girl looked at them again and the brunette looked now more furious than ever. He threw Shun a punch right on the jaw and Runo swore she heard a bone crack in the process. The Slytherin made an expression full of pain, and in that moment Dan basically launched himself towards the boy.

Alice still wasn't moving, completely shocked at what was happening right in front of her. Julie had actually followed her and was now standing next to the red head, still crying on her hands. And Runo hoped Marucho was coming with a competent teacher.

"Stop it guys!" Runo ran towards them once again, and managed to take hold of Dan's arm before he could throw another punch. The brunette looked at her, a look of frustration and anger, but the blunette ignored it as both boys stood up once again and she placed herself between the two "What the hell?!"

"Shun's the one who started it!" Dan was inching himself towards the raven haired boy, but Runo turned to try to push him away. The brunette had a deep cut at the bottom of his lip, a snarl covering his face, but even the blunette could see a look of hurt flashing across his eyes.

"I have nothing to do with you two" Shun said back in a monotone voice. The girl turned to him, a frown settling on her face. The Slytherin had a big bruise covering his jaw and a little bit of blood coming from his nose, but he stood expressionless "This is none of your business Dan, so don't interfere"

"Don't interfere?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Dan was now practically pushing Runo towards Shun "I want to understand what the hell is going on with you?! You've been ignoring me ever since we got back! You've been ignoring us!" The brunette was shouting back at the boy now, rage and hurt all over his face "And then out of nowhere you're chatting with Prince about wiping out the muggleborns?! What the hell Shun?!"

The blunette's eyes widened at the statement and looked back at Shun with disbelief. The boy only looked at them but didn't argue back or even move from his position. Almost as if he wasn't the same person they have grown to know.

"Like I said Dan" The Slytherin started, a menacing glare setting on his eyes "This is none of your business. And if I was talking with Hydron it was because I agree with him" He was about to turn away but a spark of fury went off inside Runo. But before she could even move with two strides Alice swiftly slapped him across the cheek with all of the force she could muster. The boy looked taken a back, almost like he had woken up from a dream.

"What has gotten into you?!" She shouted back at the boy "Agreeing with Prince and wiping out the muggleborns are you out of your mind?! What happened to you?!" The girl was scowling at the boy but he was still looking back at her in bewilderment. Even Runo was shocked at how Alice had just reacted.

"I-" He was about to say something until the crowd of students parted and there came Professor Tigrerra striding towards them, a visible frown on her face. Marucho was walking behind her, worry and preoccupation across his face. Runo didn't move from her position as she turned to the teacher.

"What's the meaning of this students?" The professor asked but no one dared to even speak up. The blonde teacher just sighed and pointed towards the castle "All of you come with me" Without question Dan, Alice, Runo, Julie, Marucho and Shun marched behind the Transfiguration Professor, trying not to look back at the teacher. Everyone got separated to their respective Head of House, so both Dan and Runo went with Professor Tigrerra to her office.

The brunette boy explained briefly what had happened, and the blunette only explained what she had seen until she got there. The professor ripped away 50 points of their house and gave them two nights of detention. With that both went on their way towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

The trip back there was silent and Runo couldn't even bring herself to talk. She wanted to ask Dan more about what had happened but the boy looked quite miserable. The girl sighed as she scratched her lightning scar and gathered up her courage.

"You okay?" She asked the brunette. They both stopped in a dim light hall near the entrance of the common room. The boy was looking at the wall next to her but still wasn't talking. A wave of uneasiness washed over Runo "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm just…" The boy crossed his arms over his chest "I don't know what even happened. I mean we were all walking towards the Hospital Wing to pick you up but out of nowhere I saw Shun with Hydron" He started explaining, eyed trained on the floor "I called for him but he completely ignored me. I went to him and tried to talk to him at least and that's when things got bad" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair "He pushed me away and Hydron started throwing insults at Marucho. I got angry but Shun was agreeing with the little git. Alice then got involved as well and tried reasoning with him but out of nowhere he snapped." Dan had a frown all over his face "He started insulting us and saying bigoted stuff about muggleborns and then pushed Alice away…" He stayed silent for a second "And that's when I punched him"

"Wow" Runo couldn't think of something else to say. She was shocked and couldn't believe Shun would say something like that. Just back at Flourish and Botts he had told he didn't agree with that sort of mentality. What was going on with him? "It's like he's not himself at all"

"I have the same feeling" Dan commented as he leaned on the wall "He looked way more tired and worn out than before. I don't know what's going on with him but I'm not letting this slide" He was now looking back at her, eyes full of new found determination "I'm going to get answers out of that damn ninja."

The blunette sighed once more, looking back at the boy "I also need to tell you something…" The brunette looked back at her with expectant eyes. She used the time to explain him the whole encounter with Aerogan and what had happened. She even dared to mention the incident with Baron Leroy.

"Yeah we heard from Julie about Baron, other than that the professor's are keeping quiet" Dan nodded along the lines "But then this attacks have happened before?"

"It looks like it" Runo added "We'll have to ask Hydron about it too once we get the Polyjuice Potion" At that the brunette rubbed his head and sighed.

"Looks like things are going to get pretty hectic from here on out" He commented and the only thing Runo could do was to agree with him. Her mind drifted back to Aerogan and his warnings, and she regretted to admit that he might have been right. She had a feeling that this year wasn't going to be as peaceful as she thought.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! So I did manage to update the new chapter by this week, so yay! We finally got to see the first Quidditch game! I'm sorry if I suck writing quidditch games haha I really tried to make it a bit exciting but I don't know if it worked at all. Anyway, just a head's up if you have read the HP book or watched the movie of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" you might get the idea of why Shun's acting like an ass. Outside of that, he's been like this because he's in major trouble right now tbh and the reason for that will be revealed until the end of the year (Sorry about that!)**

 **I actually really liked the fight they were having (I like angsty stuff) idk I think that's how friendships or relationships develop in a more normal manner, but that's my opinion though. As for the next update, thankfully I have the next two chapters already written out, so I can update them around next week? I think. If not I will probably update it within two weeks but no more than that. Anyways hoped you liked the chapter, if you have any questions or comments leave a review or you can PM to talk about the story! Hope you have a great week!**


	14. Second Year: Duel of Magic

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- Duel of Magic**

Snow was already filling the green fields of the Hogwarts castle along with the Christmas celebration on its way. Most students were already packing their stuff to leave to their respective homes, all except for a group of five.

"This should do it!" Marucho exclaimed with glee. He added a final ingredient to the potion and proudly looked at it. They were all currently sitting at the Second Floor Girl's Bathroom, smiles all etched upon their faces as they watched the Polyjuice Potion finally coming to form itself.

"Way to go Marucho!" Runo exclaimed as she watched with intrigue the mix in front of her. It was starting to turn into a blackish color along with several dots of purple here and there.

"Well it was all thanks to Alice for getting the ingredients" The blond replied as he scratched his head with a nervous smile.

"Don't remind me, my grandfather is still suspicious to where all of his Boomslang skin went" Alice was far away from the potion, still against the idea of using it, but curious enough to be checking up on it constantly.

"Oh relax girl!" Julie said with glee as she walked over to the redhead and patted her on the back quite hard "Professor Gehabic won't know a thing about this!" Alice just shot her a worried look but said nothing else. Runo sighed as she focused her sight to the potion once again and then to her brunette friend. Dan had been far too quiet for her liking. She supposed that he was still sulking about his fight with Shun, but she didn't want to press the subject any further than needed.

"If my notes are correct, the Polyjuice Potion can be used exactly on Christmas Eve" Marucho announced "So if we are going to do this, we need to stay here in Hogwarts for Christmas"

"I can do it" Runo offered right away "I'm not going back to the orphanage for Christmas" Dan piped in as well, agreeing on staying at the castle for the celebration. Alice and Julie both declined the offer since they already had plans on their own with their families "Well I'll stay here as well, my parents have business trips during those days. I think I prefer staying here"

"How are you so sure that this is going to work?" A shrill voice asked from behind them. Runo jumped at the sudden appearance of Harpus. The ghost had been bothering them non-stop since they started using her bathroom to cook the potion. So far the only ones who were able to calm her down were either Marucho or Julie.

"We just hope it does" Dan said with a finality tone on his voice. Runo bit on her lip with worry but didn't say anything else as the ghost rolled her eyes and disappeared into her stall.

"Okay," Marucho piped in, sending nervous glances towards Dan "The only thing we need to do now, is get three strands of hair of three different people from Slytherin before Christmas break starts"

"Oh don't worry about that guys! Julie's got you covered!" The Hufflepuff said with a singing voice as she twirled on her spot. Runo refrained from making a comment as she stood up from her place and dusted off her school uniform. "I can give you the hair before I go back to France, so don't worry about a thing" The silver haired girl said as she too, took her belongings and stood up from her position. The group nodded to themselves and with that hid the Polyuice Potion in one of the empty stalls and exited the bathroom, trying to not look suspicious at all.

"So have you guys signed up for the Dueling Club yet?" Alice said with interest as they walked out of the Second Floor and headed towards the Great Hall, a loud grumbling coming from most of the students.

"More like forced to enter by Professor Knight" Runo grumbled, a frown now appearing all over her face "I understand we have to practice these spells, but why does he have to teach it?"

"Oh lighten up girl! Professor Knight is just trying to help us in the best way he can!" Julie exclaimed with glee and a bashful smile "Just thinking about him makes me blush!" The girl started mumbling to herself and the blunette only rolled her eyes, avoiding the topic all together. Runo settled her eyes on Dan once again. He had a clouded look over them, looking even more serious and quieter than before.

"You okay?" The girl whispered to him. The boy looked towards her, a look of surprise taking over his features. Dan then smiled and just nodded to her. Instead of making her calm down, it made her worry even more. She wanted to push the subject even further but suddenly they were already at the Great Hall. With a wave of goodbyes, everyone walked towards their respective house tables and settled. The blunette sent another worried look towards the brunette, but the boy focused on the food in front of him and ended up completely ignoring her. Thus earning him a punch in the head.

* * *

"Okay students gather around!" The thunderous voice of Klaus Knight vibrated through the whole classroom. Many groans of protest where heard all around the hall, while loud squealing was accompanied by it. Runo was with the side that was groaning. She was standing besides Alice and watched with annoyance as Professor Knight stood tall and proud in an elevated platform; a crowd of fan-girls were standing right in front of him, including Julie. The professor shot them a wide smile and in a swift motion threw his navy blue cape at them. The girls immediately shot their hand forward to catch the marvelous piece of cloth. Runo rolled her eyes as more squealing and shouts where heard because of such action.

"Maybe if we throw Professor Knight into the crowd we can skip this course" Dan suggested beside her, a small grin making way on his lips.

"Count me in" Runo whispered back to him, until another professor took his stance in the platform, besides Professor Knight. Professor Gehabic looked as bored and serious as ever, with his hands clasped behind his back and sharp eyes looking at everything surrounding him. Any source of noise was shut down in a second. Klaus Knight straightened up from his position and shot an apologetic look to his fellow professor, just as he turned to ignore him.

"In light of recent events," The professor started explaining, flashing a smile as he walked across the platform "Professor Wyvern has granted me permission to start this Dueling Club, to teach you disarming spells, in case you need to defend yourselves, just like I have in countless of times" More swooning came from the group of fan-girls, but they immediately shut up once they saw the glare Professor Michael was giving them.

"Professor Gehabic here agreed to help teach this course!" Klaus Knight pointed at him proudly as a few heads turned in the opposite direction to look at the Potions Professor "Now never fear, your Potions Professor will still be in one piece after this" He shot another smile as he moved towards the center of the platform.

"What a tool" Alice muttered under her breath. Marucho, Dan and Runo turned to her, wide eyes and faces full of surprise at the comment coming from the redhead. The girl flushed at the sudden turn of attention "W-what? He is!" The girl tried to look back at the professor's, but her embarrassed cheeks were still present.

"You're only saying that because he insulted your grandfather" The blunette only grinned as she turned back to the spectacle that was about to happen in front of her.

Both professors were now in front of each other, wands out and a proper stance. They looked at each other and like in old western movies they turned around and moved towards different ends of the platform. The silence was now more present than ever, the only sound coming from the feet walking on the wooden platform. Both teachers turned, and took a proper fighting position, wand pointing at each other and a serious expression all over their faces.

"Now on the count of three, we will shot our spells at each other. But this is only to disarm your opponent!" Professor Knight instructed "One, two, three!" Before Klaus Knight could even open his mouth, Professor Gehabic had already shouted _"Exelliarmus!"_ and a shot of red lighting came out of his wand, crashing on full force on Knight's chest. The DATDA Professor was sent flying towards the nearest wall, and crashed down onto the floor. His fan-girls gasped in horror and quickly ran to aid him, while the rest looked in amusement at the scene that had happened before them.

Runo was really trying not to laugh at the professor, but with Dan trying to suppress his laughing beside her and Marucho biting down on his lips to vanish a wide smile, it was harder to do it. Even Alice had a smug smile on her face, as she looked back at the grandfather with pride.

"Well there you have it! Wonderful demonstration Professor Gehabic!" Klaus Knight still had a dazzling smile on his lips, but his legs were wobbling a little bit from the sudden impact "Oh thank you Miss Makimoto for bringing my wand" The professor sad to the Hufflepuff as he entered the stage once more "I have to say it was quite predictable what you were going to do, that's why I let it hit me, so the students could see properly the way the Disarming Charm works!" Runo was sure that if Klaus Knight could see the murderous look on Professor Gehabic's face he would want to run out of the classroom.

"Now let's have a volunteer pair to demonstrate you how to block these kinds of spells, how about Kazami and Kuso" The professor suggested and Runo could feel her eyes budge out of her sockets. She looked up at the professor, already a hand in the air to intervene when Professor Michael interrupted.

"If I'm correct Mr. Kazami and Mr. Kuso hadn't been on the best of terms lately, how about Mr. Prince and Mr. Kuso?" He suggested a dark smile edging on his face. 'That's even worse!' Runo's mind screamed as she moved closer to the crowd to say something but Dan had already beat her to it. The brunette climbed up the platform, a serious expression on his face as Hydron entered the stage as well.

Hydron Prince had a twisted smile as he took out his wand and started taunting Dan with it. The brunette didn't say anything and opted to ignore him completely. Alice and Marucho were now besides the blunette, a worried expression already etching on their faces. Julie joined soon after, excited that Dan was talking with Klaus Knight about the combat.

The professors left the stage and the only ones left where Dan and Hydron. Both of them did the same the teachers had done, walked towards each other with their wands out, turned and walked towards different directions of the platform and wands pointing at each other.

"Remember this is a practice only to disarm!" Professor Klaus reminded them "One, two, three-" Before the professor had even finished counting Hydron had already casted a spell. The shot of lighting went straight towards Dan, but the boy fell to the floor, making the spell hit on the other side of the wall. Not wasting time, the brunette got up on his feet and shouted _"Rictusempra!"_ A jet of silver light collided with Hydron's chest in no time sending him flying and crashing down at the platform.

The Slytherin had now a murderous look. He stood up and pointed the wand at him shouting _"Serpensortia!"_ And with that a large black snake slithered out of Hydron's wand. Several screams of horror and fear where heard, and students backed away from the platform, but Runo refused to do so. She watched in awe at the snake as it moved towards Dan, fangs already exposed.

The blunette didn't know what to expect when the animal raised itself and was already edging towards her brunette friend. The professors immediately moved towards the scene, Professor Knight pointing at the wand, clearly expecting to vanish the snake, but it only ended up in the animal flying 10 feet in the air and the plopping down, right in front of Runo.

The girl backed away in an instant as the snake looked now more furious than ever and raised once again. Before she could stop herself, she shouted: "Stop!" The snake hid his fangs and was staring at her again, now curiosity gleaming in it's eyes. The animal was inching closer once again and Runo talked to it again "Stop it!"

"How strange" A deep voice was now coming out of the snake's mouth. Runo's eyes widened again as it kept on talking "Fear not, I will not bring any harm to you" The snake then returned to the platform, it was almost as if it had an inviting smile on it's face.

"Thanks?" The blunette said back, quite unsure of what to say next. Before she could continue to speak with the snake, it lit up in flames and in a matter of seconds disappeared. The girl looked up in surprise at Professor Gehabic, who was looking at her with calculating eyes and had his wand up. Students all around her were muttering among themselves, sending her dirty looks every now and then. Runo only frowned? Hadn't they heard the conversation she just had with the snake?

Out of nowhere someone was tugging on her arm, and was forcefully dragging her away from the classroom. Julie had her hand clasped into hers as she walked away, a sweet smile on her features as she comment "We'll be right back!" Alice, Marucho and Dan followed after them, and the group all ran towards the nearest empty classroom to hide. Julie quickly ushered all of them inside and locked the door closed.

"You're a Parselmouth and you didn't tell us?!" The Hufflepuff basically screeched back at Runo, who in turn only frowned in confusion. Dan was looking between the two girls, while Marucho and Alice tried to keep up with the term.

"I'm a what?" The blunette questioned.

"A _Parselmouth_! Meaning you can talk to snakes!"

"Oh" Runo grew more confused now and frowned "Well I just talked to it like a normal conversation. And then the snake responded, but you heard it too right?"

"Heard it?!" Julie looked at Dan with wide eyes, which in turn he frowned even more "You were speaking another language while talking to the snake!"

"What?!" The blunette was now shocked "No, I was speaking normally to it! I can't speak a language I don't even know!"

"Runo but you where talking in between hisses and long strange words" Dan started saying, as calm as possible "Look the thing here is you talked to the snake and it talked back and you understood it, right?" The girl only nodded back, suddenly scratching her lightning scar "Well that's an ability a few people have and they are called Parselmouths because of it, but man this is bad"

"Terribly bad!" Julie added with worry all over her face.

"But why is it bad?" Runo asked, not liking the direction the conversation was taking "I mean many people can do it, right?"

"It's very uncommon for someone to be a Parselmouth Runo" Julie said her hands clasped with each other "And even more so during these years, in the past many Slytherins were known to have that talent"

"In those included Salazar Slytherin" Alice piped up from the other side of the room. Her and Marucho still looked like they were quite confused at the new term but they tried to keep up with it "He was famous for talking with snakes, that's why the symbol of Slytherin is a snake"

"You've got to be kidding me." Runo muttered as she brushed her hair away from her face "Now everyone's going to think-"

"That you might be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin" Dan crossed his arms over his chest, a worried expression clear on his face "They might even think you're the Heir of Slytherin"

"But I'm not" The blunette said, a sort of panic started to bubbling up on her chest. She silently cursed to herself, why did she always get involved in such messes?

"For all we know, you might be Runo" Alice placed a hand on her shoulder, a sad smile present on her lips "Salazar Slytherin died thousands of years ago, there is no trace of his family whatsoever, but knowing you are a Parselmouth, you could be"

Runo sighed in defeat and bit on her lower lip with worry. Her? Being Salazar Slytherin's great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter? And to top it all off, being Slytherin's Heir? She hoped her speculations were wrong, but like her friends said, Salazar had died thousands of years ago, and she barely knew who her father and mother were, much less their family trees. If destiny wanted to screw her life even more, she could be all of those things. She cursed to herself again.

* * *

Christmas had finally come to Hogwarts and Runo couldn't be happier about it. Snow continued to pile up at the Quidditch Field, and most students had gone off to their Christmas vacations, leaving the castle pretty empty for the Holidays. It also meant less muttering and whisperings around her, about the whole Parselmouth topic.

The students had gone in frenzy after they had learned the whole story of her talking to a snake during the Dueling Club. People started talking more behind their backs and Mylene Farrow took the opportunity to call her out on it, on more occasions than she could count.

The only upsides where that Kenta and Keiji Kuso had found the situation hilarious and braced themselves to shout things like "Everyone out of the way, the Heir of Slytheirn is coming through!" or "Runo Misaki has an important meeting at the Chamber of Secrets!"

Alice thought it was a childish attitude but the blunette couldn't care less. Having those comments said, made the situation suck less than before. Even Fabia and Chan Lee had joined in with the Kuso Twins and made similar comments.

Another bright side was that since the incident not a single one petrification had happened yet, so the professors where a bit more at ease after the knowledge. The down side was that Baron Leroy was still at the Infirmary. According to Elfin, Professor Preyas was still working with the Mandrakes that refused to bloom like they regularly did, so the process was going to be longer than usual.

The blunette sighed and with that shoved a spoon of scrambled eggs into her mouth as she looked back at the Ravenclaw table. Marucho was sitting alone at the table since he was the only Ravenclaw Second Year staying at the school. Runo waved at him and the boy waved back but kept on focusing on his food.

"If you're worrying about him, he's doing all right" Dan commented, mouth full of who knows what he was eating. The boy was sitting in front of her, and the girl had lost count on how many times he had served food on his plate "He's been more lively than when he entered the school, that's for sure"

"I'm not worried" Runo crossed her arms over her chest "I just wanted to repeat the plan for tonight once again" After a long discussion the three friends had agreed that Christmas night was the best occasion to infiltrate the Slytherin Common Room. According to Julie she had managed to get the boys strands of hair from Sion Cornies and Lucas Smith, two of the closest housemates of Hydron. As for Runo she had gotten strand of hair from the famous Jenny Kimura. How in Earth did Julie managed to do that, she had no idea.

"Well it's easy" Dan started as he gulped down his cranberry juice "All we have to do is knock down Sion and Lucas away from the Slytherin Common Room. And as for you, since the Kimura Sisters went away, just announce that you decided to come back"

"Oh and they won't suspect a thing, of only me coming back?" Runo rolled her eyes. The Kimura Sisters where a pair of girls that belonged in the Slytherin House, and they were currently in their Second Year as well. There was Jenny Kimura and Jewls Kimura, and they never left each other's side, so for only one to come back it could be suspicious enough. In her mind, so many things could go wrong but Dan was as calm as ever.

"Relax kid, no one will notice it's us" He grinned. The boy suddenly pointed at two people behind her. The girl turned and noticed how Sion, a boy with dark brown spiky hair and Lucas, a taller boy with light brown hair, exited the Great Hall. Dan and Runo exchanged looks and nodded at each other. Not wasting time, the Gryffindors leapt out of the hall and quickly followed the two Slytherins. Passing by they hid behind one of the shinning armors of the hall, and watched as the two housemates stopped in their tracks and turned back again to the Great Hall.

"Just like we practiced" Dan whispered to her. The blunette nodded and took out two biscuits from her robes. She hoped Alice's plan would work. Taking out her wand, the girl quickly muttered out _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ And instantly the biscuits started to float. With precision the girl managed to place the food just in front of the walking Slytherins.

"Oh dude, check it out!" Sion exclaimed, way too excited for a single biscuit. Without hesitating both of them took hold of the sweet and shoved it into their mouths. Runo almost wanted to face-palm herself, these two were complete idiots. The Gryffindors watched as the two buys where still grinning, until their mouths dropped and they toppled to the floor with a loud thud.

"That's going to leave a mark" Dan said a satisfied smile forming on his lips. Runo only sighed and motioned for him to follow her. She repeated the same charm on the boys and basically floated them inside an empty classroom, and locked the door once they where inside. "Well that wasn't so hard!" The brunette said his arms positioned behind his head.

"Yeah since you didn't do anything!" The blunette said back angrily and shoved her wand in her pocket once again.

"Alice had instructed us, that you would place the enchanted biscuits and move them around! Not me!" The boy retorted, a vein appearing on his forehead. The Ravenclaw had entrusted Runo with a pair of special sweets, to help them knock out Sion and Lucas. Apparently the red head had enhanced the biscuits with some sort of sleep drug.

"And you couldn't help moving them?!" The girl suddenly snapped at him, until a cough was heard. Startled both of them turned only to find Marucho with an awkward smile on his face.

"Shall we go?" He tired to ask as innocent as possible. The Gryffindors looked back at each other and pouted, but nonetheless nodded at the question. All three students made their way towards the Second Floor bathroom, where the Polyjuice Potion was still hiding. Most halls where empty, since the students where hanging out at their respective Common Rooms, celebrating Christmas. The three of them reached the bathroom and with no time to waste, barged right in, ready to follow the plan.

"According to Julie, she managed to get Slytherin robes from the laundry. I hope this goes well" Marucho explained, a nervous tone already settling on his voice. They all changed from their uniforms to the Slytherin ones and huddled in front of the cauldron with the potion in it. The blonde boy quickly picked up three glass vases from his side and started pouring the black and thick liquid into each one of them. He handed the glasses out, each of them holding onto one, as Marucho took out three vials, with different strands of hair.

"Okay here's Jenny's Runo" The Ravenclaw handed her a vial with strands of purple hair, while Dan got one with light brown hair and Marucho the darker strands of hair. "Now we have to pour the strands into the potion" Everyone did as told and placed the hair into the glass. Runo watched with utter disgust as the black liquid started devouring the purple strands of hair.

"We have an hour until the potion wears off, and now we drink" Marucho was really trying not to vomit at the potion in front of him. Runo felt something on her stomach flip but inhaled a fresh breath of air and with no hesitation, brought the glass to her mouth and gulped down the whole thing. It tasted liked rotten eggs.

Instantly her glass crashed onto the floor, and she felt a burning sensation spreading onto her stomach. She turned to the wall for support, but her legs where starting to hurt from the movement. The girl started gasping for air, as she felt her fingers getting a bit thinner and larger than usual. She could almost feel herself getting taller as she shut her eyes and tried to fight back the horrible pain.

Suddenly it stopped. Runo gasped out for air as she knelt down to the floor. She could hear the distinctive laughter coming from Harpus, but she paid it no mind. The girl focused on her hands. They where larger and thinner than hers, with her nails perfectly manicured and covered in purple nail polish. The girl looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of her friends. Marucho had now Sion's face and body, as he was crouching trying not to vomit out the contents of the potion. While Dan was breathing hard, a splitting image of Lucas, as he tried not to pass out from the shock. From the little puddles all around the room, Runo could see her reflection in one of them, and she almost screamed in surprise.

She looked exactly like Jenny Kimura; the same silky purple hair, and big pair of blue eyes, along with fine porcelain skin. The girl really wanted to get back to her normal appearance. With much effort, Runo managed to hold on to the wall and pick herself up, careful not to tumble back down.

"You okay?" Dan asked in a much deeper voice than usual. The girl only nodded and breathed in and out once again. He had managed to walk towards her, but he still looked quite sick. "What about you Marucho?"

"I'm fine, just a bit nauseous" The Ravenclaw, answered in Sion's voice. With a push he managed to stand up without falling back down again "We have to hurry, we have an hour to find out if Hydron is the heir or not" And with that the three students exited the bathroom and headed towards the direction they thought the Slytherin Common Room was in.

"Do you guys have any idea where the Slytherin Common Room is?" Runo asked, her voice a bit higher than her normal one. She could even feel a bit thinner as they walked towards the dungeons.

"Alice tired looking it up in a map, but found nothing" Marucho commented as they descended more steps "I have always watched them come out of this way from breakfast" The three of them continued to look around, the halls deserted and pitch black.

"There you are you two!" A voice called out to them. The trio turned around and where confronted face to face with Hydron Prince. The blond had a smirk all over his face as he walked towards them "I've been looking for you! I thought you were at the Great Hall still eating…" His words trailed off once he noticed Runo next to them and he frowned "Jenny? I thought you had left for the Bahamas with your sister?" Dan and Marucho sent her worried looks and honestly the blunette felt her voice going out.

"Oh I did!" She tried to act the same way as the Slytherin girl. According to Julie, the girl always did weird motions with her hands and her words had a weird accent to them "But I remembered that I forgot something here, so I came back to look for it!"

"And you left Jewls behind?" The boy had a suspicious look on his face. Runo really wanted to shot him a glare but she had to keep an act. Suddenly a set of footsteps where heard from the other side of the hall. "It's the prefects, we better get to the Common Room, before they scold us" The blond turned and the trio followed after him, not a word being uttered. They passed a few more halls until a neat wooden door was in front of them _"Caput Draconis"_ Hydron said before the door and it immediately opened. Runo exchanged a look with her friends and nodded at each other as they entered the room.

The Slytherin Common Room was long, low underground with stone walls to go with it, along with little closed windows who gave sight into the Black Lake. Hung up on the walls, were old tapestries of different patterns and colors along the green and black. Greenish lamps where hanging from the ceiling, giving the room a quite cold atmosphere. Black and green sofas and high end chairs where lined up around a fire, where several Slytherin students where resting.

"So what is that you forgot Jenny?" The blond boy asked, actual concern on his face, almost making Runo gasp in surprise. "Or was it that you only missed me?" He gave her a suggestive smirk, and the blunette resisted the urge to slap him away.

"Of course not silly" She tried saying it, in the most cheerful way possible but it still came out flat "It was something Jewls forgot, but I'll hang around a bit, before going to look for it"

"Oh well then I can tell you the scoop with these two as well" Hydron said as he motioned for the three to come closer "My father just told me that back at the ministry Shinjiro Kuso might get resigned after they found about his bewitched muggle car" The boy had the nastiest grin on his face. Runo shot Dan a look, but he really looked like he wanted to punch the blond right there.

"Ha ha ha, that's very funny Hydron" Marucho tried to say with enthusiasm, but it came more with worry and preoccupation. The blond turned to Dan and Runo, almost expecting them to laugh as well, but only the girl could manage a forced laughter.

"So silly Hydron" She said with her fake voice and the blond boy swooned at her words. She literally felt like vomiting now, this was definitely not happening to her.

"What's gotten your panties into a twist eh Lucas?" Hydron asked Dan, obviously freaked out by the boy's behavior and his clenched fists.

"I have a severe stomachache" Dan stated flatly.

"Well go to the Hospital Wing, and give a kick to all those Mudbloods for me" The Slytherin said with a malicious grin "I'm surprised the Daily Propher hasn't made the attacks public yet. I suppose Wyvern has been kept quiet about it all. Serves her right, who in their right mind would've enrolled someone like Baron Leroy?" He was rambling once again, and Runo's patience was really going thin. The boy now started imitating him "Misaki can I get your autograph?" He said in a sickening voice.

The blonde looked back and he sure found Runo and Dan glaring back at him. The blunette once again pulled a fake laugh as well as the others and Hydron felt like the king of the world, it was really a sick sight to see.

"Saint Misaki, the Mudblood's friend" Hydron started once again, and Runo felt Dan's hand clasping her wrist now "She's another one with no proper wizard feeling. Hanging out with Maruka and Gehabic altogether. And people think she's the Heir of Slytherin!"

Runo's eyes grew in confusion 'Alice? Why is Alice involved in that?' The three exchanged looks quickly and looked with expectation at the blond. He was bound to open his mouth again and start blabbering nonsense.

"I wish I know who it was, I would be helping them" The boy said those words and Runo felt herself deflate at the comment. Dan's mouth dropped in astonishment and the only one still functional was Marucho.

"But you must have an idea on who it is?" The boy interjected.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself Sion?" Hydron shot him a dirty look but still continued to explain "Father hasn't told me anything about the first time the Chamber was opened. I only know that it happened around fifty years ago and a Mudblood actually died" He had a malicious smile on his lips now "It's just a matter of time before it happens again, I hope it's Gehabic" Runo had to be held back by Dan so she wouldn't pounce right there on top of the boy "The Ministry has been on our tails as well. They just searched my mansion but Father keeps his large collection of Dark Arts stuff under the drawing-floor room"

"Why are you so fixated on Alice Gehabic though?" Marucho asked with curiosity "Isn't she a Pureblood because of her grandfather, Professor Gehabic?"

"Oh Merlin! Her being a Pureblood?!" Hydron looked like his head had been torn off, almost as if he had been offended with the question. But then his eyes narrowed in suspicion "Wait you don't know?"

"Know what?" Runo said in the most venomous tone she could muster. Dan shot her a look again but she kept on ignoring him.

"About Gehabic's true family?" The three looked at each other puzzled and the blond had a grin as if he had won the lottery "Oh this is good to tell then! Alice Gehabic is actually a-" His voice was cut off as the door of the Common Room opened again with a loud thud. There on the entrance stood no other than Shun Kazami. The boy looked around the Common Room and was heading towards his room, until he noticed their group.

"Hey Kazami! Come here for a second!" Hydron Prince was smiling as he motioned for the ninja to draw closer. The boy approached them, sending Runo curious glances, but not commenting on anything. Now it was the blunette's turn to hold Dan's wrist. The boy really looked like he wanted to at least talk with his best friend but it wasn't the best time.

"What is it?" The boy asked in flat tone.

"I was just telling them about Gehabic's true blood. The girl's family life is just a pure mess if I say so myself. And since it looks like you don't know either, I would be glad to tell you as well" The boy was about to open his mouth again, but Shun had already grabbed the collar of his shirt. Prince looked startled but once he noticed Shun's glare, his face turned into one of pure horror.

"Listen very carefully Prince" The raven haired boy stated "If you ever invent some kind of stupid rumor about Alice, or even so if you even come close to saying her name" He drew in closer, a murderous gaze on his eyes "I'll make sure you regret it, got it?" The blond could only nod his head. And with that Shun dropped the boy to the floor and left the group to join a boy with mint green hair.

"Damn that Kazami" The boy snarled as he fixed the collar of his uniform. He shot the raven haired boy another glare until he turned to Runo with a smirk on his lips "Hey Jenny since I know how obsessed you are with Kazami, why don't I give you this?" Prince took out from his robes a small leather black journal and thrust it into her hands "I've seen him carrying around this thing, so I should assume it's his diary or something, you can have it. Consider it a gift of Christmas, from me to you"

"Gee I don't know what to say Hydron" The girl looked awkwardly at the book in her hands. Sure she wanted to know what was happening with Shun, but that didn't mean she would read his diary "But you should probably return it-"

A loud gasp made the group turn their heads. Marucho had his mouth and nose covered with his mouth and Runo knew why he was acting that way. His eyes were starting to turn into blue again, and little bits of his hair started to turn blonde. The blunette could feel her height vanishing as well, and her purple hair turning into its normal color. Dan's skin started to return to its natural brownish state and his eyes to a reddish hue. Thanks to Merlin the blonde Slytherin hadn't been paying attention.

"You know what I'm going to go to the Hospital Wing after all" Dan announced and practically ran towards the exit, Runo and Marucho right behind him. Hydron called out for them, but they ignored him and ran out of the Slytherin Common Room. The three friends didn't look back as they ran out of the dungeons and headed towards the Second Floor bathroom.

"Well that wasn't a complete waste of time" Dan said as the three entered the bathroom, each one entering a stall and changing into their own uniforms "I'm going to write a letter to my dad to check Hydron's drawing room" Runo chuckled at that, and once she finished she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face had returned to normal, and everything seemed on place. Then she remembered the book on her hands.

She inspected it a bit. It looked a bit worn out, but still functional. A weird inscription was at the very bottom of the cover, but she couldn't make out the words. She bit on her lip, deciding if she should return it. It was the best thing to do after all, but if Shun knew she had his diary, she wouldn't live the next day. With a sigh, the girl placed the diary inside her robes and decided that she would drop the book at his desk in a class they shared.

Her two other friends exited the stalls, smiles on their faces for the fact that they had returned to normal once again. They piled up the Slytherin robes in an empty stall and bid their farewell to Harpus and exited the bathroom.

"Well now we have another lead" Marucho explained "If what Hydron said was true, then we could look for the person who was killed fifty years ago, maybe that way we can find out who was after it all" The Gryffindors nodded and said their goodbyes to the blond, as they separated to go to their respective Common Rooms and get their goodnight's rest.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! So this is the new chapter! I'll be probably be posting this when I'm on my beach trip, so I'll probably won't update for like a week or two, but fear not I'm super close to actually finish typing the Second Year on my computer, so if all goes well we would be able to finish this year sooner than expected! Anyways hoped you enjoyed this chapter, I don't know if you felt the chapter too rushed, I kinda liked the more fast paced but whatever haha**

 **So yeah Runo can talk to snakes and the girl just found out about it, I say that's a pretty neat thing to have and Hydron's not the Heir of Slytherin at all (not surprised at that one), and also Runo has Shun's "diary", which will have a much more impact on the next chapter and in the last ones as well. Oh also the names I used for the Slytherin students they have actually appeared on the anime, so look them up if you have a doubt on how they look. Anyways thanks for all the reviews so far guys! I'm glad you're liking the story so far! If you have any comment or question you can either leave a review or PM me! Hope you have a great week!**


	15. Second Year: The Diary

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- The Diary**

Classes went back to normal after the Christmas break. The halls of Hogwarts were filled with students once again. Most of the chatter was still about the petrified students around the castle and the whole ordeal with the Heir of Slytherin. Students where making theories and lists of who could it be. And in most of them, Runo was on top of the list.

The blunette learned to ignore the weird glances and whispers after two weeks of school. Her, Dan and Marucho wasted no time in filling the details for Julie and Alice. Both the girls were bummed that Hydron in fact was not the Slytherin Heir, but it still helped them get into frenzy to look for the murdered student from fifty years ago.

Weeks had passed and Runo was glad she hadn't heard that weird voice again. It would often appear on her dreams, but after Christmas it stopped coming all together. The girl sighed in relief and slumped back into her wooden chair. She was currently working on a scroll for Potions class at the study tables of the Gryffindor Common Room. Fabia at her right side rubbed her eyes a bit more and continued to write a few more words, before slumping on the table all together. Chan Lee only rolled her eyes as she started to pack her things up.

"Well girls, I'm already finished so I'm going to head up to sleep" The Chinese girl said with a little smile "Come on Fabia, even if you stay up all night you won't be able to finish it"

"Let me just add a few more words" The girl mumbled as she picked her quill and wrote a incoherent sentence all over the scroll "There I'm finished" And with that both of her roommates packed up their things.

"Good luck Runo" They said. The blunette only waved back at them and watched as they took the stairs to the girl's dormitory. The girl stifled a yawn, as she looked over at her work so far. If she was counting right, she only needed about twenty more words and she would be done with it. She looked over at her bag and saw the tempting black journal once again.

Runo hadn't told any of her friends that she had Shun's journal in her possession. She had insisted that once they left the Slytherin Common Room, she had left it somewhere in their chairs, but seeing it in her bag that was an obvious lie. She bit on her lip the temptation to open it was big as well. Since classes started the girl had avoided opening the diary, not wanting to peek into the Slytherin's privacy. But now…

"I'm going to regret this" The blunette whispered to herself. Looking around at the Common Room once more, she found out that she was the only student there. With a shuddering breath, the girl took out the journal from her bag and placed it over the table. As she was moving her scroll to make space for the journal, the girl accidentally knocked down her ink bottle.

The girl cursed out loud as she removed most of her stuff from the table, a little trail of ink already forming. She cursed again as she took out a couple of papers from her bag and removed the ink from spreading even further. She looked over at her Potion's scroll and wanted to kick herself. A big stain of ink was covering the last part of her report.

"So stupid!" Runo tried to remove the stain as much as she could, but it was still visible. With a growl the girl started packing up her things, too tired to continue. She was mumbling things to herself, and then she remembered the journal. "Shun's going to murder me!" She looked over to the book that was lying on the table. The girl quickly opened it, only to find empty white papers looking back at her. Her face changed in confusion as she started to look through the journal.

Even after the ink had spread, the book was empty. No letters, no entries whatsoever, the book was as if it had just been bought. Eyes wide and face full of surprise the girl took out her quill and ink and started a doodle on one of the pages. She watched in awe as the doodle vanished all together. The girl took hold of the book and turned it around, noticing now a little golden engraving.

 _O. S. Tagame_

Her brows furrowed. She had never heard that name, and she was pretty sure no one in Shun's family had similar initials like those. The girl turned the diary once again, picking up a random page and starting to write over the book. "My name is Runo Misaki" The ink vanished once she finished her sentence, and remained blank. Then out of nowhere, a sentence appeared right below where hers was, with words she hadn't written.

 _"Hello Runo Misaki. My name is O. Silk Tagame. How did you come by me diary?"_ Words in neat calligraphy appeared and as fast as they came, they started to vanish as well. Runo quickly started scribbling over the sheet's surface, waiting for a reply.

"It was given to me" The girl doubted if she should write more about the topic, but left it like that once the words started to disappear once again. An idea popped up in her mind as she considered the question, but the girl thought she had nothing to lose "Do you by any chance now anything about the Chamber of Secrets?"

 _"Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, killing one in the process. I caught the one responsible and he was expelled. But the professors forbade me to speak about the matter."_

Runo quickly read the message as she scribbled the next words "The Chamber has been opened again. There have been two attacks and the professor's have no idea who is behind them"

 _"I can show you if that's what you want"_ The sentence disappeared and was replaced with another one _"I can show you the day of the murder and the capture of the responsible"_

The girl's eyes narrowed in confusion as she read the last sentence once again, before it started disappearing. How will Tagame show her what happened fifty years ago? Suddenly the pages of the diary began to blow, stopping at the middle. A date appeared on the corner of the journal, somewhere at the middle of May. A light started to glow at the pages of the book, and before Runo could drop it, she was being sucked in. The girl found herself in a vortex full of colors and brightness. She couldn't focus on anything as her feet touched the ground and she almost fell.

With a shuddering breath the girl started to look at her surroundings. It was somewhere inside the Hogwarts castle that's for sure, but she couldn't seem to remember where. She turned and was met face to face with a young man. He had white silky hair that was tied up in a neat bun, and a very defined jaw, quite handsome on appearance as well. Purple eyes looking as if right through her, the Prefect badge and Slytherin crest flashing on his robes.

"Excuse me, do you know what's going on?" Runo asked with uncertainty as she looked at the boy. She was met with silence, the boy not moving an inch from his spot. She was about to call to him again, but was interrupted by another voice.

"Tagame" Both of them turned their heads, as a young Gryffindor girl walked towards them, the blunette's eyes widening in surprise as she recognized Professor Wyvern. She looked like she was on her fifth year of Hogwarts, a Prefect badge also glistering on her robes. Her usual long hair was tied up in a ponytail, eyes much more alive than in the present.

"Wyvern, what are you doing awake at these hours of the night?" Tagame asked in a very deep voice.

"I should ask you the same thing" She answered as if looking back at Runo "I just heard about the girl" The Slytherin only nodded at her statement. The sound of a door being opened made Runo turn around. At the far end of the hall, she could see a couple of people carrying out what it seemed to be a stretcher, a white sheet over it's surface. The girl felt her mouth hang open once she noticed the dangling hand of a girl peeking out of the sheet.

"It's horrible what happened" Wyvern said with such sadness in her voice "I heard Professor Lars mentioning that they might close Hogwarts after this" Her eyes shifted to the boy, almost as if she was expecting some sort of reaction.

"They can't close Hogwarts" Tagame spat the sentence as if it was venom "We can't go back there you know that" He turned to her giving her a pointed look, but the girl wasn't even faced by it "Maybe, if the responsible is caught, they won't need to"

"Do you know something about these attacks Tagame?" Wyvern's head titled a bit, eyes full of suspicion for the boy. Runo moved a bit closer, hoping not to miss anything from the conversation.

"You know I don't" He said, almost offended by the suggestion.

"Well then, let's head to bed. We don't want to be wandering around this late, not after the recent events" And with that Professor Wyvern walked away from him, in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower. Runo decided to stay on the spot, still watching Tagame. The Slytherin looked like he was in a serious debate with himself, face full of concentration and lip biting.

The boy said nothing more, and headed in a different direction, Runo quickly following him. They headed towards the dungeons of the castle, passing several classrooms and hallways in the process. The girl bit her lip, she really hoped Kagame was taking her somewhere useful and not towards the Slytherin Common Room. They made a sharp turn as the Prefect took out his wand and stopped right in front of a door.

Kagame breathed in and out, a decision already made on his face. He jinxed the door and it made a loud booming sound as it opened. Inside the room there was another young boy, who was speaking in whispers.

"Ingram" The Slytherin spoke as Runo moved beside him to look at the scene. Professor Ingram looked much younger, around his Second Year or so, a badge of Ravenclaw on his robes as he turned to look at Kagame, not even faced by his presence.

"Good evening to you too Kagame" The blunette could see that the Professor was a bit nervous, as he pushed a little crate behind him.

"Quit the chat" He snapped right away, wand pointing at Ingram's chest "I know you didn't mean to kill anyone, but if the attacks don't stop they're going to close Hogwarts"

"You know as well as I do that he hasn't harmed anyone" Professor Ingram talked with such conviction that Runo wasn't sure of who was actually telling the truth. In a swift motion the professor, had pushed the crate behind him into the floor, shooting a spell right towards Kagame. The Slytherin blocked it with ease and sent a hex, fiery jets of lights coming out of the tip of his wand as they collided with Ingram's chest. In between all the commotion Runo managed to see a creature crawling out of the crate. She let out a scream as she saw it, quickly running away. It was a mass of hair from what it looked like in the shadows, a tangle of legs and thousands of piercing eyes looking everywhere.

Kagame quickly turned to shot a spell at the creature, but it was already too late. The fiery lights collided with the floor, illuminating the scene a bit. The blunette managed to see the creature go away and not looking back. The Slytherin Prefect turned back to Professor Ingram, a scowl on his face.

Runo was pulled out of the scene, as she felt her body leave the past. With a shuddering breath the girl snapped from her position and looked all around her. She was at the Gryffindor Common Room once again unharmed. The girl looked back at the journal. It was still blank, no traces left of any of the things that occurred. Sweat was rolling from her forehead, surely due to the sudden turn of events. Quickly the girl stuffed her things on her bag and made her way to the girl's dormitory. The blunette was positive she would not sleep well that night. Not after discovering that Professor Ingram was the one behind the attacks.

* * *

"I'm telling you" Runo quickly scanned the hall and whispered to her group of friends "The diary clearly showed me that Professor Ingram was protecting the creature!" Dan and Runo were currently walking to their Potion's class with the Slytherin students, while Julie, Alice and Marucho where heading to their Transfiguration class.

"I'm sure it was some sort of misunderstanding" Alice insisted. Runo rolled her eyes at the defense.

"Oh sure Alice, lurking in a suspicious room after a murder is a misunderstanding" The blunette snapped back at her.

"I'm not a big fan of Professor Ingram, at least not after the detention in the Forbidden Forest" Julie started flapping her ponytail to the side "but to think that he's behind a murder makes you really think"

"I don't know about Professor Ingram but if the responsible was expelled then why is he still at Hogwarts?" Marucho asked, face full of questions. Runo sighed as she clutched to the Potion's book and the diary tighter to her chest.

"Maybe it would be best if we just asked him" Julie suggested with a shrug.

"Oh sure, that would be a lovely visit" Runo started "Hey Professor Ingram we came here to ask you about the murder you committed fifty years ago" The blunette said dryly only earning a glare from the silver haired girl.

"I'm with Julie" Dan spoke up "It's definitely going to get awkward but we should have concrete evidence that it was really him" The brunette said in all seriousness "Maybe that dude from the diary did it, seems sketchy enough to me" Runo pondered on the thought. Kagame seemed nice enough for the short time she talked with him or saw him, but he also looked like the kind of person to hide something. She didn't voice her thoughts and let her friends do the talking.

"It's the best way to know if he was really behind the attacks or not" Alice finally agreed. The Ravenclaw's eyes suddenly widened, as if her mind opened to a new set of ideas "Guys I'll see you later I have to go check on something" Without waving goodbye the girl darted off to a set of stairs, not bothering to even look back.

"She doesn't remember that we have Transfiguration?" Julie asked, while the rest of them shrugged "Well guys if you are going to talk to Professor Ingram, count me in!"

"I think I'll pass, it's better if I help Alice in searching whatever she found out" Marucho whined but nodded as well. Runo laughed at his statement, until she felt a pat on her back.

"Hey Misaki, Kuso!" Jake Vallory was saluting them in kind of a friendly matter.

"What's up?" The blunette asked back, giving the Fourth Year a friendly wave.

"Oh well the usual, I'm just here to remind you about tomorrow's match against Hufflepuff!" The Quidditch Captain grinned, pumped up in an instant once the topic was brought up "I managed to book the Quidditch Field just for the afternoon, so we'll have an intense training all-right?" And as quick as he had appeared the boy was waving goodbye, still reminding them about the practice.

"I totally forgot about the match!" Runo slapped her forehead, her energy already draining away just from thinking of the intense training "Jake always goes over the top with his training"

"You can't deny that" Dan commented, a frown almost resting on his face, but his lips broke into a sudden grin "But we'll have a chance to beat Hufflepuff tomorrow!"

"As much as I love you guys, Hufflepuff is definitely going to crush you!" Julie did a fist bump with her hand, ready to defend her house Quidditch Team at any second. The blunette was about to retort something back to her friend, until she felt a powerful shove. The girl stumbled to the floor, all of her things falling from her arms and her bag. A flutter of papers flew away. She cursed loudly and turned around trying to find the culprit, but no one was around.

"Hey kid what happened?" Dan asked, kneeling beside her, picking up some of her things. She let out a curse and knelt trying to shove her things into her bag, a blush of embarrassment already on her cheeks.

"I don't know, I just felt like someone pushed me" She said, taking her things from her friends hands and placing them on her bag. Nothing was on the floor anymore and she turned her eyes to scan on her bag. The girl's eyes widened as she started to look for a specific book on her bag. Not finding it, she turned to look at the floor but it was empty as well.

"Something wrong Runo?" Julie asked, an obvious frown of worry on her face. The blunette blinked once and looked for it again, not finding it again. A swarm of students were around them, trying to get to their next class as fast as possible, so anyone could've been the thief.

"The journal" The Gryffindor said, as she stood up from the floor "I-I don't have it anymore" She tried looking around her, find the person who had taken it, but nobody was in sight with the black diary.

"What?" Dan asked as he stood up "You don't have it anymore?"

"No" The blunette slapped a hand to her forehead "Someone must've took it when I fell" She bit on her lip, as her friends started looking for the culprit, but finding no one suspicious with it. The girl started looking as well, her eyes catching sight of a known raven haired boy. He was walking next to a mint green haired boy, both of them stoic expressions on their faces. The girl only gave him a worried glance but turned back to her friends.

"Sorry, seems like who took it isn't around here anymore" Marucho said with a concerned smile. Runo sighed and waved her hand.

"Don't sweat it guys, really it was my fault for being such a klutz" She gave them a smile "I wished I could've asked it more stuff, I'll try looking for it, but I doubt I'll find it" She grimaced. The crowd of students lessened and with that Julie and Marucho parted to their class, and the Gryffindors entered the Potion's classroom.

"So should we go talk to Professor Ingram after class?" Dan commented casually as he flopped in his usual seat, Runo taking the one next to him.

"I doubt he'll tell us something useful" The blunette said as she took out her notes and materials for the class "But since we don't have the journal anymore, that will have to do" A pout covered her lips as she basically deflated in her seat "I can't believe I lost it so early!"

"Hey kid you're the one who called yourself a klutz" The brunette chuckled beside her. Runo didn't waste time as she smacked him at the back of his head "Always the aggressive one and you said that!"

"Doesn't mean you can say it!" The girl snapped at him, just as Professor Michael strode in the room. A silence loomed over the classroom as the lesson started. Runo and Dan where still bickering in silence, sending each other glares and poking at their sides, but one glare coming from Professor Gehabic made them both stop. The blunette sent the brunette another icy glare, just when the professor turned to explain the activity. If they were really going to talk with Professor Ingram, they would need to be extremely careful about the questions and what they were going to say, something that both she and Dan lacked.

* * *

Dan and Runo had never seen the halls of Hogwarts so crowded at night. Prefects, ghosts and teachers where all making rounds around the castle. There were all walking in pairs, wands out and looking at every possible direction. There were moments where Runo's heart stopped for a second, just because she thought they were looking at her. Thank god they had the Invisibility Cloak on.

The Gryffindors had decided that after classes they where going to go investigate and talk to Professor Ingram. They tried to consult their friends, but apparently Alice was still locked up in the library along with Marucho and Julie was nowhere to be found. Making up their minds, both of them waited for midnight to come and embarked on their journey towards Ingram's hut, which was located right before the Forbidden Forest.

As the walked, Runo was seriously doubting their plan. What were they going to say to Professor Ingram? Or they were going to ask him straight away what happened? The questions filled her mind, but they kept on going. They got out of the castle, the starry night illuminating their way towards a little stone hut. Plants and vegetables where surrounding it, giving it a more familiar feeling. The blunette gulped down her nerves as they reached their door.

"Okay so how do we start the topic?" Dan was just behind her "I mean we can't just ask the questions right away"

"I know that" The girl retorted, a vein popping on her forehead already "We don't even know if the professor's going to answer to our questions" She was really starting to worry, the urge to scratch on her scar coming once again, but she fought back. "Well here goes" With an intake of breath, the girl knocked on the door.

The door opened revealing Professor Ingram, a crossbow at his hands, pointing exactly at their faces. Runo had to bite down a yelp from her mouth, as Dan's eyes widened in surprise as well, inching towards her.

"Who's there?" The Professor asked with a serious expression on his face. The blunette looked over at her friend, who in turn only nodded. With a flick of her wrist, the girl removed the Invisible Cloak from both her and Dan, facing a very shocked professor "Miss Misaki and Mr. Kuso, what are you doing here at these hours of the night?"

"Sorry for the disturbance Professor Ingram" Runo was the first to speak "We wanted to come sooner to see you, but we got caught up in Quidditch practice" The girl was really nervous, now that she thought of ways to come up with the topic.

"Well it's rarity for you to even visit, and much less at night" The professor frowned as he settled his crossbow somewhere inside his hut "It will be best if you go back to your Common Room, I'll even escort you there"

"No please hear us out professor" They needed to talk with him far away from Hogwarts, if someone else got word of their investigation it would only get worse "We just have a couple of questions about a certain event that happened"

"A certain event?" The professor frowned in confusion, as he picked up his wand from his robes "Come now children I'll take you back to the castle"

"We want to know about the student who was murdered fifty years ago" Dan flat out said it. The girl turned to him wide eyed, but the boy was not even faced by her reaction. He had his arms crossed over his chest, unmoving from his position.

"And why would you come to me? I'm sure Professor Golem is more qualified to tell you the whole story" Professor Ingram had taken a step back inside his home, wand lowering.

"We know you were involved in the murder professor" The brunette was biting his lower lip now. Runo didn't know what to do as she looked between the professor and her best friend. Professor Ingram definitely looked taken aback from the statement, eyes wide with shock. Finally he sighed and took a look around his home

"Come in so I can explain properly"

The Gryffindors shared a look of surprise as they entered the professor's home. It was small all right, but it had an air of familiarity and home. Different kind of vines and potted plants were all around the place, a small chimney at the far end, a wooden table and chairs with a tea set right in the middle of the room, a wide open window to look back at and a gigantic bed just above it. Crates were piled up at the other side of the room, each of them filled with small packages and little colorful stickers. It looked cozier than any of the rooms she had seen back at the orphanage.

"Come on now, you can take a seat" The Professor closed the door behind him, as both students took a place in the table "I would offer you some tea, but I've run out of herbs for the moment" With that the professor sat just in front of them and clasped his hands together "So what is it that you know and what do you wish to know?"

"Well I-uh" Runo didn't know where to start at all "How do I put this?" She mumbled to herself. How do you tell someone that you traveled back in time and literally saw them with a suspicious creature after a murder happened?

"It seems that you and your friends have been investigating the incident revolving the Chamber of Secrets for some time" The professor rubbed his chin and then sighed "Then let me explain. Fifty years ago as you know there was murder here in the school. Petrifications had happened all around the school year and they ended with the death of the student. The school searched for the Chamber of Secrets and the monster responsible for the attacks, but their tries where futile." The professor took a deep breath as he continued.

"That was until they started to look for someone to blame. A fifth year student named Silk Tagame, came to me the day of the murder. He knew that my pet wasn't the one behind the attacks, but insisted to the school staff. Of course they where going to listen to the Slytheirn prefect and not a Second Year Ravenclaw. In all the commotion, my pet fled its crate and escaped Hogwarts"

Runo gulped down her nerves, and turn to look at Dan. He was listening intently at what the professor was saying, but his eyes were wide with surprise as well. The girl bit on her lip as she turned to Professor Ingram as well.

"After that Kagame was rewarded for 'catching' the responsible. I was almost sent to Azkaban until Wyvern, who was a fifth year as well, intervened for me. I wasn't expelled from Hogwarts, but after that it wasn't the same." He then turned to look at the Gyrffindors in front of him almost breaking into a grin after watching their faces "I believe that's not what you were expecting?"

"Um no-o, not at all Professor Ingram" Dan intervened "We're sorry if the subject made you uncomfortable or brought back bad memories" The man shook his head, dismissing the statement.

"Ever since the attacks started once again, I couldn't help but to think that maybe my pet from fifty years ago had come back to haunt all of those students" The professor sighed and unclenched his hands "I mean yes it was an Acromantula but as far I know they don't have a tendency to petrify people"

"Your pet was an Acromantula professor?!" Dan almost shrieked as soon as he heard. Runo looked at her best friend, waiting for an explanation "An Acromantula is a species of giant spider and they do have a tendency for wanting human flesh!" He looked back at the professor "So maybe the spider didn't petrify the other students, but it could've been the one that killed the last one!"

"I thought about that a long time as well Mr. Kuso, but the poor thing was just barely a baby when the student was murdered. They develop a taste for humans right after they enter the mature age" Professor Ingram added. The blunette didn't think that it made things better at all. So the creature inside the Chamber of Secrets might be a giant spider.

"Although" The professor had a thoughtful look on his face now "Whenever there was an attack or something similar, my pet had the tendency to run away into the Forbidden Forest before it happened and then return hours after it had happened."

"Wait, hold up" Runo intervened, trying to connect dots in her head "If the spider ran away before any of the attacks happened, then it was another creature attacking the students" The blunette joined her hands, trying to remember a creature the spiders where afraid of.

A sudden knock on the door made the three jump in their seats. The students looked back at the professor, shock on their faces. He whispered to them to go into the corner of the room, and without wasting time they both did as told. Before Professor Ingram told them, the blunette had already covered her and Dan with the Invisibility Cloak. The professor sighed in relief and swung the door open. At the other side there was Professor Skyress, a solemn look on her face.

"Is something the matter Skyress?" Professor Ingram asked with concern. Runo placed her hand over her mouth, trying to stop herself from breathing too hard. Dan did as well, as both of them listened intently at the conversation between the teachers.

"I was just making the rounds inside the castle" At that the Charms Professor rubbed her eyes. She looked more tired than before "There was another attack" Runo felt her breath hitch at the news. Professor Skyress looked inside the hut, but dismissed the matter altogether "Two students were attacked tonight"

"How did it happen?" Professor Ingram ushered for her to come in but the woman declined the offer.

"We are still trying to figure it out, but for the moment we've transferred them to the Hospital Wing" With a shaky hand she passed a hand through her hair "Preyas already informed us that the Mandrake Restorative Draught is almost finished, but even so, if we don't find that beast soon, we're going to have to close the school"

The blunette gasped silently, the impact of the news hitting her like a brick. Close Hogwarts? No, that couldn't be possible. Hogwarts was her home, it was her everything. She couldn't possibly go back to the Wool's Orphanage and live there for the rest of her life. Dan's hand was placed in her shoulder. She looked back at the boy and his face was full with reassurance. His usual care-free eyes where now flaming with seriousness. 'We are going to catch this creature and prevent this from happening'

"Well I'll give you more details in the morning, for now go rest" Professor Skyress patted Ingram on the back and with that she bid him goodbye and returned to the Hogwarts castle. Silence loomed over them as they news sank in their heads. Runo removed the cloak from her and Dan, both full faces of shock.

"Let's hope your investigation is really going somewhere Miss Runo, Mr. Kuso" Professor Ingram said as he picked up a torchlight from his bedside "I have some manners to discuss back at the Forbidden Forest, as for you two, I can escort you to the castle if you'd like" The students both shook their heads, as they followed him out of the hut. The professor closed the door behind them, a grim expression on his face "I should advise you to tell this to Professor Wyvern, I'm sure she would be of much more help than I am. But that's in your hands" And with that Professor Ingram ushered them to hide themselves in the cloak once again as he made his way towards the forest.

Runo turned to look at him, worry on her face but kept her mouth shut. She was sure the professor knew what he was doing. And with that the two Gryffindors made their way inside the castle once again. It was in utter chaos, professors where going in each and every direction looking for something, while the prefects stood outside doors and classrooms all around the place.

The blunette was wondering who were the two people attacked late at night. She hoped it wasn't any of her friends, she wouldn't know what to do in that case. Dan and her reached the Gryffindor Common Room with ease and entered it without a problem. The girl sighed as she removed the cloak and they made their way towards the fireplace in the room.

"Two more attacks in just one night?" Dan passed a hand through his messy brown hair "If this beast keeps it up, sooner or later the murder is going to repeat again"

"It's just like Hydron said" Runo sat down at one of the couched in front of the fire, the brunette following suit after her "If more time passes by, a muggleborn might actually get killed. And Hogwarts might close as well" A sinking feeling was spreading in her gut. Something was warning her of a great danger that was just looming around the corner. She didn't really know what to think.

"Let's just get some sleep for tonight okay?" Dan grinned softly at her "Tomorrow morning we have a game to win and we can tell our discoveries to the rest of the gang" The brunette placed a comforting hand over her shoulder. She looked over at him and a small smile took over her lips and a red hue spread over the brunette's cheeks "We're going to get to the bottom of this, don't worry"

"You're right, o wise one" The blunette teased as they both rose from the couch and headed towards their dormitories "Sleep well" The brunette boy waved her a goodnight and took the stairs towards the boys dormitory. The girl staid behind a bit, watching the flames flicker by at the small chimney they had. Who was behind all of the attacks? And if the beast was something far worse than a giant spider, then who had set it loose?

She shook her head. Debating the topic alone won't take her anywhere and not in an almost sleep state. With that the blunette brushed her hair away and took the stairs towards her dormitory. She just hoped her friends could be safe from all of the mess that was happening.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! So from here on out I'll be typing out the next chapters for the Third Year hehe so yes without counting this chapter there are only 2 chapters left for the Second Year! Hope you look forward to them! For the ones expecting Runo and Dan visiting the spiders, I'm saving that scene for another year so bear with me haha as for the rest of the chapter I don't have much to say, other than Dan is really blunt when it comes about other people's feelings, even more so to people he's not close enough (not surprised about it)**

 **Also I've been thinking about giving each year a story slot here in FF, but I'm still not sure if it's a good idea or not. What do you guys think? Would you prefer seeing like a slot for Third Year, Fourth Year and so on, or all the chapter in the same slot? I would love to hear your opinions! Thanks for all the views and reviews so far, I'm glad to know that you like the story as much as I do! Anyways I hope you liked this chapter and like always if you have any comment or question you can write a review or PM me! Have a great week!**


	16. Second Year: Petrification

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- Petrification**

"Okay guys, just remember the plan I made up yesterday, that is sure to take us to the winning spot!" Jake Vallory fist bumped the air as the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team followed suit. The next day had arrived and with it the match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.

Most students around the halls seemed a bit happier as they talked about the upcoming quidditch game. Runo suspected that it was because the professor's hadn't told them about the double attack that had just happened. Dan and Runo had exchanged curious glances at breakfast, but everyone was too immersed in the game.

The girl gulped down her nerves and breathed, as they neared the Quidditch Field. Before that could happen though, Professor Tigrerra was standing between them and the grassy field, and she didn't look pleased at all. A knot in her gut told Runo that whatever she had to say wasn't good.

"Mr. Vallory please escort your team back to the Gryffindor Common Room. The match between you and Huffelpuff has been cancelled" She said without hesitation, making everyone go silent. Groans of protests erupted from the older students, as they began complaining to the Head of the House.

"Professor you can't cancel Quidditch!" Jake groaned with the rest of his team. Professor Tigrerra only glared at them and motioned for them to go back to the Common Room. Runo frowned as she followed after her team.

"Miss Misaki and Mr. Kuso would you please come with me" They both turned to see Tigrerra. The professor had a worried look on her face "We need to find Miss Makimoto as well, there's something you need to see" Dan and Runo exchanged confused looks but followed after the professor nonetheless. The group found Julie quite easily, as she was moping about the cancelled game. Tigrerra called out to her and the girl followed them.

Julie sent them worried looks but the blunette could only shrug. She wasn't sure where was Professor Tigrerra taking them, or why was she taking them. She supposed that maybe Professor Ingram had something to do with it, maybe he had told her about they little chat the other night, but she deemed it almost impossible. They crossed a familiar corridor and in a few steps they were at the Hospital Wing. A sinking feeling settled onto Runo's stomach as they entered the room.

"This could be a bit shocking but we thought it would be best if you knew beforehand" Professor Tigrerra said as she led them through the beds. The blunette's heart was beating fast as if in any moment it could burst. "It happened last night, another attack" The professor sighed "A _double_ attack". She saw Baron's bed and the cat's petrified state as well as they continued to walk and they stopped in front of two beds. Her heart stopped and with eyes wide she recognized the red head occupying the mattress and the blonde boy right next to her.

Julie started crying right away, and Dan was in the same state of shock as her. Runo placed her hand over her mouth, a few tears forming around the corner of her eyes. Alice and Marucho lie utterly still on their respective beds. The boy had a look of fear over his features while Alice seemed to be quite shocked, as if she had been protecting him. Dan was gripping the bed's handle way too hard, as Julie sat down next to Marucho, still crying.

"They were found right outside the library" Professor Tigrerra muttered as she moved next to Alice "Miss Gehabic was holding this, do you recognize it?" It was a hand held silver mirror. Runo shook her head solemnly as she continued to stare at her friend's bodies. She heard the door of the Hospital Wing open again but she ignored it all together.

"Why was Alice petrified?" She asked to no one in particular. Tigrerra gave her a questioning look and she rephrased the question "I mean, the creature had only been attacking muggleborns since the start of the year" Runo gulped down a lump that was forming in her throat "And as far as I know Alice isn't muggleborn, I mean her grandfather is a wizard"

"Oh, you don't know?" Professor Tigrerra grimaced as she looked at Runo, almost as if she wanted to hug her, but refrained from doing so "Professor Gehabic and Alice are not blood related. Miss Gehabic here was adopted by Professor Gehabic at a very young age, but she had muggle parents." Runo's eyes widened as she looked over to Alice once again. The red head had never mentioned anything of that sort before. She had always assumed that her and Professor Gehabic were blood related, but now…

"Mr. Kazami this is a Restricted Section, who let you in?" Professor Tigrerra demanded. At the mention of the name, Runo turned to the Slytherin, and he was able to get a glimpse at Alice's state. The raven haired boy remained silent, but his eyes widened once he noticed the red head. His usual calm golden eyes were now filled with grief and guiltiness.

"Professor Skyress gave me permission to pass" His voice was quite strained and now that Runo could look properly at the boy, she could see bigger eye bags, and his skin even looked paler than normal. Shun moved forwards to Alice's bed, but Dan got right in front of him, face in a deep frown.

"Why are you here?" He demanded.

"Professor Skyress told me one of my friends had been attacked, so I came-" Before he could answer, the brunette had grabbed his collar and punched him right in his left eye, making Shun crash onto the floor. Runo was next to them in a blink of an eye, as she was pulling Dan back, Julie just watched with wide teary eyes the scene in front of her.

"Mr. Kuso!" Runo had completely forgotten about Tigrerra altogether. The Professor moved between the two boys, ready to scold Dan for his actions, but the brunette completely ignored her.

"Your _friend_?!" He spat back at Shun, who was still lying motionless on the floor "You had been ignoring her ever since we got back! You had insulted muggleborns right on her face! And you have the right to come here and call yourself her _friend_?!" The brunette was being dragged away by Tigrerra now, out of the Hospital Wing "Bullshit Shun! If you were her friend you would've known how much she has been hurting because of you!" And with a final glare Dan was thrown out of the Hospital Wing, accompanied by Tigrerra to a full week of detention.

Silence overcame the group of friends after that. Julie kept on crying, sniffling every once in a while but her sadness would come back once she saw Marucho or Alice once more. Runo wasn't sure of what to say after her best friend's speech. She was torn in between keeping the fight with Shun or just ignoring him. The Slytherin was still on the floor, motionless, and the blunette wasn't sure if he was breathing well or not. The girl really wanted for their friendship to come back, even more so that Dan and Shun's friendship would be back to the way it was.

"Shun" The girl moved closer to him, still unsure of what to say.

"Excuse me" Shun mumbled quietly as he stood up and exited the Hospital Wing, a bruise already forming on his eye. Runo considered going after him and try to ease things a bit, but she decided against it. The girl turned to Alice and sat down next to her, smothering her red hair a bit.

"How did you get caught up in this?" The blunette rubbed at her eyes. A great deal of sadness and grief came over her. She knew that the Mandrake Restorative Draught was almost finished, but she couldn't help feeling useless at the time. She couldn't keep Alice and Marucho out of danger. The girl bit on her lip as she grabbed the redhead's left hand.

Her eye's widened once she noticed a crumbled piece of paper, held tightly on her grasp. Runo frowned at this, as she moved closer to inspect it. It looked like an old piece of paper from the library books. Without hesitating, the girl quickly grabbed it from her hand and unfolded it.

 _Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it's their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowning of the rooster, which is fatal to it._

A word was scribbled at the top page in neat calligraphy. _Pipes_ it said. Runo could only stare at the page right in front of her, her mouth agape as her mind started connecting all of the dots. It was just like a light bulb had flickered over her, the solution to everything right on that page. Even in petrification state, Alice was a lifesaver.

"Julie!" She called out to the Hufflepuff, moving over to her in a matter of seconds, almost tripping with the bed sheets. The silver head had puffy eyes but still managed to look up. "Look at this!" She shoved the paper in her hands, but the silver haired girl was still to sad to even move "It's the answer to the creature living in the Chamber of Secrets, it's a _basilisk_!" At that the girl's eyes widened in surprise and she started reading right away, wiping away the remains of her tears.

"It all makes sense!" Julie perked up as she watched the bodies of her friends more closely "The reason why no one has been killed, it's because they never seen the basilisk directly into its eyes." The Hufflepuff's eyes shifted to the other side of the room, where Baron Leroy laid "Baron had left the Common Room with his reading glasses, so he must have had them on when the snake attacked!"

"Exactly. The cat, Elico must have seen the reflection on the water. Alice and Marucho had been using the mirror, because they must have knew something beforehand." Runo took hold of the paper once again " _Spiders flee before the Basilisk,_ it matches what Professor Ingram just told us last night." Julie gave her questioning eyes, but the blunette was too engrossed in the discovery to pay attention "And that's why I've been the only who can hear that weird voice over the halls. It's because it's a snake!" Then another gasp was released from her mouth "Then Slytherin's Heir must also be a parselmouth! That way he controls the basilisk!"

"But a basilisk is way too big to be roaming around the school" Julie piped in "Don't you think someone must've seen it by now?" Runo pouted, skimming over the page once again and then noticing the word at the top of the page.

"Pipes, Julie. The basilisk has been using the pipes to go from one place to another!" She turned the page and signaled the place where the word was. Julie's eyes widened, her mind also making click to the new discovery. "That's why I've heard the voice inside the walls"

"Then, oh! It all makes sense now!" Julie jumped up from Marucho's bed, and turned to her face full of determination "I know who was killed fifty years ago! And I have a pretty good feeling of where is the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets!" Runo's eyes widened at the statement. Excitement was cursing through her body, but she knew she had to tell a professor about it. "Should we tell someone about this?"

"I'll go to Professor Wyvern's office, you stay here in case Tigrerra or Professor Skyress come back, okay?" The silver haired girl nodded, more confident than ever before "I won't be long, I'll come back here once I finish!"

And with that Runo took off in a sprint, stuffing the piece of paper into her uniform, as she dashed across halls and classrooms. She wasn't very sure of the location of Wyvern's office, but she did know that it was close to Klaus Knight's. Panting, the girl jumped flights of stairs, and continued to run across the halls. Night was already setting across the castle, and she knew that once the curfew passed, it would be impossible to talk to any of the professors. In a split second, the girl turned around, a weird sound catching her off guard, as she crashed into another person, sending her tumbling down.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking!" Runo quickly pushed herself off the ground and was about to take off in a sprint again, when the other person stopped her. It was no other than Professor Wyvern in front of her, a curious smile on her lips.

"What seems to be the matter Miss Misaki?" The Headmistress looked as radiant as ever as she stood right in front of Runo. She had the same attire as always, but the girl could tell that she had spent countless of sleepless nights recently.

"Professor Wyvern, there's something I need to tell you" Runo looked around the hall quite nervous if anyone else heard the information she had for her. The professor noticed this and smiled.

"Well then it's better if we step into my office then, follow me" The professor didn't ask more questions, as she turned around and kept on walking through the hall. The blunette quite confused, reluctantly followed her, but she wished that they could go faster! It was a mater of life or death! Professor Wyvern, stopped right in front of a gargoyle's statue, and recited a string of words "Sherbet Lemon"

In a second the gargoyle posing at the entrance, moved away and revealed a marvelous set of spiral stairs leading upwards. Professor Wyvern entered without trouble and ushered for Runo to go in as well. The blunette followed after her and watched as the gargoyle returned to block the entrance. Runo went up the stairs as Professor Wyvern led the way. They reached a set of marble doors with beautiful engravings as they opened by themselves. The girl's eyes widened as she entered the office. If she were not in such a hurry she would love to visit the headmistress's office every once in a while.

The office was a circular with many windows around it. A desk full with papers stocked neatly and a large pile of books around it sat at the middle of the room. Behind it, thousands of portraits were hung up, the people inside of them moving from one frame to the other or chatting away. It was like a personal little library, bookcases where filled to the brim and little spindly tables adorned the office with silver trinkets or vases filled with candy. She recognized the Sorting Hat sitting a top of one of the bookcases, sleeping soundly. A bird was also perched up next to the desk. It had white and golden plumage, a golden beak and purple dazzling eyes. The bird looked quite happy as Wyvern walked over to pet it. It had also had white feathers along its tail, looking even more elegant than before.

In a sudden movement, the bird had flown over to where Runo stood and perched up on her shoulder, as if inspecting her. The girl unable to make a move just stood wide-eyed as the bird looked her over and then nuzzled into her neck. The blunette held her breath as the bird flew back to Professor Wyvern, now more pleased with itself.

"You must forgive Peal, she tends to be quite territorial" Professor Wyvern scratched the back of the bird's head "But I think she likes you" The bird shook once the headmistress was over and flew back to perch on the desk "Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets."

"That's a phoenix?" Runo asked astonished "I thought their plumage was only red and gold, along with black eyes" The girl looked fascinated at the creature, as she moved a bit to continue to marvel at it.

"Oh yes, while that is true, Pearl is a very rare type of phoenix. She has albinism, that's why most of her plumage is white and her eyes a distinctive color" Professor Wyvern explained with a smile, and then turned to the Gryffindor "But I believe you had something to tell me Runo"

"Oh right!" The girl had almost forgotten why she had come in the first place. Quickly the girl took out a page of the library book and was about to give it to the headmistress, but her office door was opened once more. There it stood a man in a black suit and a cane by his right hand. Runo turned to him, but didn't say anything else as she took his figure. He was quite short, and had a round belly to go with it, and a very small mop of black and gray hair. A moustache was also on his lips, covering most of his mouth.

"Oh Minister of Magic, what a surprise to have you here!" Professor Wyvern moved to greet the man, and ushered him to go inside the office. The man smiled and walked with the headmistress inside the office "And what do I owe this visit?"

"Well it's not good news Wyvern" The man spoke in a gruff voice, as he took out a handkerchief and started to clean the sweat away from his forehead "With light on recent events the ministry wishes to take Ingram Ventus to Azkaban. Oh that's not all" He seemed like the weight of the world was upon his shoulders "The Governors wanted to give you an Order of Suspension, they want you to leave Hogwarts until matters are cleared up. I tried to intervene but they wouldn't listen-"

"What?" Runo blurted out, regretting the decision the moment she made it. The man's eyes shifted to her, quite startled for a second before he composed himself. The blunette was holding herself back from shouting. They wanted to suspend Wyvern, just when two attacks happened at the school? Where was the logic on that? If Professor Wyvern left, surely the beast would start killing before they know it.

"My goodness, go to your bed child, this is a matter only to be discussed by us two" The man seemed quite annoyed that she was still standing on the office. He started ushering out of the office, while Professor Wyvern tried to stop him "Whatever you need to say, go and speak it to the Deputy Headmistress" And with that the Minister of Magic followed Runo to the exit of Professor Wyvern's office. The blunette wanted to protest but the doors had already been shut on her face. She grumbled as she exited the office and went down the stairs. She walked over to the hall, as the gargoyle placed itself once more. The girl let out a frustrated yell. She could've used the time she spent gushing about the phoenix to tell her about the Chamber of Secrets. And now, they wanted to suspend Wyvern?! On top of that, the so rude behavior of the Prime Minister was the icing on the cake!

The blunette took off in a sprint again, no doubt that students will soon flood the outsides of the Great Hall to get to their common rooms. She passed down the flights of stairs once again, heading towards the Hospital Wing once more. Her legs were starting to ache, but she ignored the pain all together as she kept on running. With a loud bang she opened the door to the Hospital Wing, as she shouted an apology at Elfin Rain, running directly to where Julie was sitting.

"What did she tell you? Did she believe you?" The silver haired girl shot up from her spot in a matter of seconds. Runo turned to look at Elfin's office, but the door was still closed and the matron was nowhere to be seen.

"I was going to tell her! But the Minister of Magic entered the office and the practically pushed me out while telling Professor Wyvern she might get suspended!" She said in a loud whisper.

"Ugh! I tell you, that Minister of Magic is super rude! Just a few days ago my dad-" Before she could even finish her sentence, the blunette gave her a pointed look "Oops sorry! Well Professor Tigrerra nor Professor Skyress had shown up here! Do you think we should go look for them?"

"Let's go to the staffroom" Runo suggested "I'm sure the professors would go there just when dinner is over" Then in an instant a voice started echoing all around the school, Tigrerra's voice sounding more worried than a few hours before.

 _"All students return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please."_

"Do you think something happened? Another attack?" Julie asked quite fearfully. Runo bit on her lip, as she looked over to Alice and Marucho. Quickly the girl picked up the mirror Alice had been found with and gave it to Julie.

"Just in case, and if another attack happened, we need to tell the teachers, we're the only ones who know about this!" She and Julie both walked out of the Hospital Wing, heading for the second floor, where the staffroom was located "Let's go" They both nodded at each other and ran towards the room. Most of students were now gone from the Great Hall, and both girls just hoped that the teachers wouldn't see them ahead of time. The girl quickly reached the second floor, but something stopped them in their tracks. Right where the first message had been written there was a new one. Both exchanged fearful looks as they approached the wall.

Once they reached the wall Runo felt her eyes widen. Julie covered her mouth as they read the blood written message scribbled on it. The blunette felt like she had been transported to that night where she found the petrified cat. The only difference now was that she felt an enormous deal of fear at the moment.

HIS SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOEREVER.

"Do you think someone was taken?" Julie whispered to her, eyes never leaving the words on the wall. The blunette bit the inside of her cheek. Did another attack really happen? Just as she was about to respond to her friend, a set of footsteps alarmed them. Quickly the Gryffindor took hold of the girl's arm and dragged her behind a column, the footsteps getting closer until stopping.

"As you see the Heir of Slytherin left another message" Tigrerra's voice could be heard, full with worry "A student was taken into the Chamber"

"What do we do now?" Professor Hydranoid asked in a serious tone of voice. A sob could be heard but Runo didn't know who it came from.

"We shall look for the student" Professor Skyress' confident voice vibrated through the whole hallway "If morning comes, then we must send all students back to their homes, we can't risk their lives anymore" A heavy silence settled between the professors until a giddy voice was heard far ahead.

"Oh sorry I'm late, what did I miss?" Klaus Knight asked with a cheery air around him. Runo rolled her eyes at the professor, but kept hidden with Julie. The girl couldn't see the amount of glares the man received, but with the new atmosphere she could imagine it.

"Just in time Professor Knight" Tigrerra swiftly said "It seems the time has come for you to prove your worth for the school"

"Just the man we needed" Professor Hydranoid chipped in "One of the students was taken captive and is currently held in the Chamber of Secrets. Just days ago you were gloating about knowing the entrance, I'm sure it will be a piece of cake to find this student"

"Sure, I can do it" Knight mumbled, voice laced with nerves and worry. Another sniffling was heard and a light hiccups.

"Who was it?" The cheery voice of Elfin Rain was now replaced with one full of sniffing and crying "Which student was taken to the Chamber?"

"Shun Kazami" Professor Skyress said.

Runo felt her eyes widen and her breath hitch. Julie beside her started to tremble as well, new tears forming in her eyes. The blunette held her hand as she tried to think of the situation. Heart hammering in her chest, the girl forced herself to listen to the conversation once more.

"Well it's settled Knight, you will go look for the boy and we will began preparing for the departure of the students tomorrow" Professor Tigrerra said and dismissed everyone. Runo peeked at the scene and the only ones left where Knight and Professor Skyress.

The Charms Professor was giving one of the iciest glares at Klaus Knight, making the girl even have shivers running down her spine. The DATDA Professor acknowledged this and flinched slightly as he looked at her.

"Listen to me Knight" Professor Skyress held her head up high "If you, by any chance, don't find this student, I will be the one that makes sure you don't see the sun again" She said as she took some steps forward "Are we clear?" She asked back as the other professor squeaked out a weak 'yes'.

Runo gulped at the statement as she watched her go, hair flipping in the air not once looking back. Professor Knight passed a hand through his hair, trembling as he did so and took off in a sudden run towards his office.

"It took Shun" Julie whispered to herself. She suddenly looked up to Runo, eyes a bit puffy and red "What are we going to do Runo?"

The blunette looked back at the bloody letters on the wall. Then a sudden flame of anger lit up inside of her. The basilisk had been attacking her home far too long, it had petrified two of her dearest friends and it had snatched another one right before her eyes. Her fists clenched at her side. The girl didn't like the idea of going to offer help, and much less to Klaus Knight, but if that was enough for him to save her friend, she was willing to do so.

"We'll help Knight" She held her head higher as she looked in the direction of his office "And then we go rescue Shun from that monster" Runo felt her eyes burning with a new determination. Julie beside her sniffed and nodded vigorously. Both girls exchanged looks and ran towards Knight's office.

They reached the office in no time, hearts hammering and panting. The Gryffindor knocked on the door as hard as she could, and all the ruckus happening inside the room suddenly stopped. The office door open just a little bit, to reveal a very nervous face of Klaus Knight.

"Ah! Runo and Miss Makimoto!" The professor had his head blocking the whole view inside the office, and uncomfortable smile set on his lips "Of what do I owe this pleasure so late at night?"

"Professor Knight we believe we have some information that might be important" The blunette explained "We've heard that you've been appointed to go inside the Chamber of Secrets, and we consider our information might be of help"

"Ah, well that's sweet of you" He glanced nervously back at his office "But you should go back to your own Common Rooms" The girl had a questioning look on her face, but didn't move from her spot. Knight looked back at them clearly uncomfortable from the situation "Ah—well, come in" And with that he let both of them walk inside his office.

The office was a complete disaster. Quite different from the last time Runo had seen it when the cat had been petrified. Two trunks were opened at the desk, one full with expensive cloaks and books, and the other one his portraits were being shoved in. The girl frowned at this as she noticed that some of his things were missing from the office.

"Are you going somewhere professor?" The girl asked, still frowning as she looked at the man. His eyes widened for a second, before he laughed a bit and continued to shove pictures in his trunk.

"Uh" He continued to place things inside his trunk as he spoke "Yes, I just um—received and urgent call—got to go"

"What about Shun?!" The blunette exploded in that second, basically stomping as she approached the man. Knight flinched slightly at her reaction. Julie kept silent as she watched the two of them quarrel.

"That is most unfortunate for him" The man continued to pick drawers and empty their contents in his bags, avoiding their eyes all together "No one regrets it more than me—"

" _You're_ the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Runo yelled at him, not caring for a second that he in fact was a professor "You can't just leave with all of this going on!"

"When Professor Wyvern offered me the job—" The man pressed his books into one of the stuffiest bags, trying to get it to close "—It didn't say anything in the description of killing a beast"

"You're running away!" Runo started to get angrier by the second, taking most of her frustrations on the man "And all of the things you did in your _stupid books_?!"

"Books are misleading Runo" Knight stated nervously

"You _wrote_ them!" The girl shouted back. If she was angry at the basilisk before, she was furious now.

"Oh do you honestly believe I did all that?!" Klaus Knight finally snapped, hair disheveled and eyes full of agitation "My books wouldn't have sold half as well if the people didn't think I'd done all those things!" Runo sent a look back at Julie, who just stared with wide eyes at the man.

"So you've been taking credit for something you didn't even do?!" The Gryffindor said back, completely unaware that the professor was slowly taking out his wand.

"My dear Runo it was all my doing, if there's something I pride myself in, is my Memory Charms. I just had to track down the people accomplishing such great deeds and with a flick of my wand, they have completely forgotten what they had done" He said it simply, not even remorse in his words. With that the professor slammed the trunk closed and turned to them "Oh yes I almost forgot!" The man pointed at them with his wand "Sorry girls, but I can't let you two ruin my career"

The blunette snatched her wand out, but before she or Knight could conjure a spell, Julie shrieked and a red light emitted from the tip of her wand, slamming right on to the professor's chest. Klaus Knight went flying back to the wall a slight cracking noise could be heard as his body hit the floor. The Hufflepuff was huffing, furious at the man before her. Runo kept her mouth shut as she moved over to Knight; he was knocked out cold, eyes opened and mouth agape. The girl took his wand and hid it on someplace else as she draped a cloak on top of him.

"I can't believe I admired such a git!" Julie shrieked, completely angry and eyes flaming "How could I be so stupid?! He's such a loser! Ugh!" Runo only smiled nervously as she stood and walked over to her.

"Well now you can see the error in your ways" She patted her shoulder "And now it's up to us to save Shun" The silver haired girl nodded and with that both of them exited the office. "You told me you had a feeling on where the entrance was, right?" Julie's eyes sparkled as she took hold of her hand and dragged to the Second Floor Girl's Bathroom. Inside everything was still the same, water splashing everywhere and spider webs accumulating at the corners.

"Harpus, come out, we need to talk to you!" The Hufflepuff called out to the ghost and in a matter of seconds the image of a very pale girl appeared in front of them. Runo shot Julie a confused look, but the girl waved her off as she approached the ghost "Harpus, would you please tell me again how you died?" The blunette's eyes widened, afraid that the Hufflepuff had just insulted the ghost but Harpus just nodded.

"It was in this exact stall" She pointed at the one she was always perched in "I remember it quite clear actually. A boy had been bullying me non-stop for my enormous green hair, so I ran to the bathroom to hide. As I was crying, someone else came in and started speaking a funny language" Harpus turned to Runo, quite serious now "It was a boy speaking. And I remember opening the door to tell him to go away" Her face was now sadder than ever before "And I died"

"Do you remember how?" Runo asked, her mind whirring with thoughts. Maybe Julie was really onto something here.

"Not really" She was now whispering as if she was telling the two of them a secret "I just remember seeing this big pair of yellow eyes staring back at me. And then my body just flopped to the floor and I was flying away" The ghost made a motion with her hands "After that I just remembered being a ghost and staying on this exact stall"

"Harpus told me this just last night" Julie confessed "I wanted to tell you today but then well you know" Her face had a grim expression "Anyways after she told me that, I figured she was the student that was killed fifty years ago, so the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets must be around here!"

"Harpus" Runo turned back to the ghost "Do you remember where you saw the pair of eyes?" The girl only nodded and pointed to one of the sinks at the circle. The blunette moved straight towards it and inspected it. Her eyes squinted a bit as she saw a strange engraving at the side of the faucet. She moved her hand to touch it and it was a figure of a snake.

"The tap has never worked" Harpus said as Runo was just trying to move it. The girl huffed and moved closer to it. Maybe if she did something the thing could open? She thought of something that the Heir of Slytherin would've done to get inside.

"Open" She tried saying, but it came out as normal English. The girl let out a growl and concentrated. She tried imagining that the engraving was a real life snake, looking up at her and seizing her up with its eyes "Open" Instead of her usual voice, a series of hisses and slurs came out of her mouth. Instantly the girl moved away from the sink, as the structure started to descend into itself. Once it finished moving, it revealed an enormous pipe, big enough for a monster to move in.

"I'm going down there" Runo stated, not even fazed by the whole darkness at the bottom of the pipe. If there was a slimiest, tiniest chance that Shun was still alive, she was going to take it.

"Then let's do it together" Julie gave her a confident smile, almost surprising the blunette at it. The two girls held hands and looked down at the pipe once more. They both looked up at each other and nodded. Without questioning both of them jumped inside the pipe, and darkness enveloped them.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! So there's only one last chapter after this and we'll finish the Second Year! YAY! Sorry for the small cliffhanger at the end but I promise the wait won't be that long though hahaha I already started typing the third chapter for the Third Year so don't worry about it! So yeah Runo and Julie are about to save the day! Alice and Marucho are petrified and damn was that hard to type haha I got pretty sad about it. And the fight between Shun and Dan also gave me quite the feels, but anyways. Also Harpus was the one killed fifty years ago by the basilisk and so on. As for the name of the author of the diary, the name is O. Silk Tagame, I got confused with the name, I'm sorry! (Sorry Naira!)**

 **As for the thing I had wrote about the slot, what I was referring to was that once I finished the Second Year I would place the story as "Completed" and just open another story with the Third and Fourth Year, but I think I'm not doing that anymore. I think I would confuse some of the readers maybe and it's easier to have just a single story for everything, so don't' worry about it! (Hope that cleared the questions!)**

 **The next update might be in a month or something, since I already started school once again and I don't have that much time anymore, so sorry about that! But I'll try to update as soon as I can! As for MBB I'm already typing out the new chapter, I had completely forgotten about it and a month already passed by, but I'll update the story as soon as I finish it! Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for all of the support so far and like always if you have any comment or question you can write a review or PM me! Have a great week!**


	17. Second Year: Heir of Slytherin

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Second Year**

 **\- Heir of Slytherin**

Runo had to bit back a scream as she and Julie sled down the pipe. The Hufflepuff was still holding onto her hand, but shrieking as they continued their descend. It was pitch black and the blunette could hardly even see herself and her friend. Suddenly Runo felt her body moving forward as she crashed onto a muddy floor. She released a groan as she sat up and tried to wipe away the mud from her clothes.

"Ew! I didn't think it would be so filthy down here!" Julie whined as she too, tried to wipe away the mud from her clothes but failing. Runo ignored her grumbling and stood up. Down there was pitch black as well, and she couldn't see anything else besides mud and strange looking bones. The girl frowned, moving forward to inspect them. They looked like regular fish skeletons, but there were far too many of them.

" _Lumos_ " The tip of her wand lit up and the girl almost fell down on her butt once she noticed the thing standing in front of her. It was the skeleton of a huge shark with its mouth open. It extended some meters and the girl felt a shiver running down her spine. She moved away from that spot and continued to illuminate the things around them. It looked like a garbage deposit but one full of bones and skeletons.

"Please tell me that we're dreaming" Julie commented, legs clearly shaking as she walked towards her. Runo extended her hand as the silver haired girl tightly held onto it. The Hufflepuff took out her wand as well and managed to light up the tip, providing them with more illumination.

"Do you see Shun or the basilisk around here?" Runo asked quietly, as they both started walking forward. She would turn to their sides inspecting the surroundings in case something popped out of nowhere. The large room was mostly made out of rock, as water dripped from the ceiling to the floor. It seemed like an endless tunnel as they continued to walk.

"The only thing I see are giant dead fish corpses" The Hufflepuff whispered back, nervousness clear on her voice. As they continued to walk around the room, they could see the skeletons were getting bigger than the ones before. Runo now felt a shiver going down her spine. If all of those monsters where killed by the basilisk, then what sort of beast was it?

In a sudden motion Julie let out a loud shriek and practically jumped on her. The blunette tried asking what was happening, but her friend continued to freak out, almost making her loose her footing. She tried to see what was making Julie so paranoid but with the girl moving and shrieking too much, she couldn't see a thing.

"Julie! What's wrong?!" Runo tried moving her wand, to see the problem but Julie kept on screaming that she wasn't able to concentrate properly. In a sudden movement, the silver haired girl, pointed at the floor and a couple of red flames launched out of her wand and produced a loud impact on the room. They were silent for a few seconds until a grumbling was heard from above them. The girls looked up and suddenly the wall beside them crashed down and rocks from the ceiling were falling as well.

Runo was thrown to the side, her back hitting on the floor as the rocks continued to crash. She wanted to open up her eyes but the immense cloud of dust was making her unable to, so she opted to try and move her hands to find Julie. The movement stopped and she was able to stand up and finally open her eyes. Right in front of her a wall of rocks stood and she couldn't see her friend anywhere.

"Runo?! Where are you?!" Julie's distraught voice echoed through the passage. Runo pressed her ear to the wall of rocks and she could hear Julie's voice coming from the other side. She let was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Julie I'm okay! The only thing is that this rocks are dividing the two of us!" She tried pushing some of them, but they stood firm. The girl groaned as she tuned around and tried to look for something. A passage caught her eye, as it led into the deepest parts of the pipe "Julie I'm going to try and find Shun okay?! For the meantime you try and move those rocks away so we can get out of here!"

"Be careful Runo!" The Hufflepuff warned her, the girl's voice quivering a bit. The blunette didn't waste time and followed the passage, wand still on hand as she tried to look out for the basilisk. The pipe seemed to be endless. She was still walking and there wasn't any sign of Shun or the basilisk anywhere. The only thing is that the corpses and skeletons were incrementing.

"This is really disgusting to look at" Runo mumbled to herself as she collided with a stone cold circular door. The girl turned to look up at it, rubbing her arm as she inspected it. It had strange engravings on it. There were six serpents tied at the base that seemed to be in an attack position. The blunette touched the nearest one, trying to look for a way to open up the door. Her mind remembered the way she managed to hide the sink back at the girl's bathroom.

"Open" Out of her mouth came a loud hiss that it even made her jump out. Suddenly a loud grumbling was heard and she watched in awe as a stone serpent circled around the door, passing each of the serpents all together before stopping at the base. With a loud groan, the door opened a bit, enough for her to pass through.

With a thundering heart Runo walked inside the room, wand still on hand as she inspected all of her surroundings. It was dim lit hall, with columns at each side of it, making it look more scary and terrible. In each column there was a stone serpent perched onto them, looking down at the passage with their big eyes. The blunette gulped down her nerves and continued to walk, her hand shaking a bit. At the end of the passage there was the statue of a man's head. His mouth was open and a long beard toppled to the floor. At the bottom of the statue the girl could make out the familiar figure of a raven-haired boy.

" _Shun!_ " The girl took off in a sprint as she noticed her friend. She kneeled down before him and tossed her wand away as she took his head in her hands "Please - don't be dead. Please wake up!" The boy wasn't moving from his position. Runo quickly pressed her ear to his chest and let out a sigh of relief once she heard that his heart was still beating. She looked back at him again. Shun's face was pale as a ghost and he felt cold to the touch "Shun, please wake up" The girl desperately said as she moved his head, but it only lulled back.

"He won't wake" A known voice said. Runo jumped around, quite startled as she watched a Slytherin student leaning on one of the room's columns. The girl frowned as she watched him. Of course she remembered who he was, but he was in Hogwarts fifty years ago, how was he still a young boy?

"Silk Tagame?" She asked curiously. The boy only nodded in response. He looked kind of blurry around the edges but Runo didn't mention it "What do you mean he won't wake? He's still alive, he has to wake up!"

"He's barely alive" He had a very suspicious smirk upon his lips that was unsettling the blunette. She looked back at him, wondering what was even going on, but continued to focus on her friend. She swore she could see him turn paler than before.

"How are you here anyway? Are you a ghost of some sort?" She voice out her curiosities as she continued to try and wake Shun up.

"I'm just a memory" Tagame approached her, an air of superiority around him "A memory that has been preserved in that diary" He pointed at a spot next to Shun. Runo recognized the black journal, but the last time she'd seen it was when it was stolen from her. She wondered how did he manage to get it.

"Well it doesn't matter to me, I need your help" She tried picking Shun up, extending his left and right arm over her shoulders "We need to take him to the Hospital Wing, I'm sure Elfin will have some sort of remedy for him" The girl tried to walk, but Tagame got in her way.

Runo frowned and tried to evade him but the fifth year continued to do the same. Exasperated the girl placed Shun on the floor again as she looked back at the ghost "Look I don't have time for games! We need to take Shun to Elfin!" She was getting quite impatient, as she looked around the floor trying to fin her wand "And where is my-"

Tagame chuckled and the girl could see him, twiddling her wand between his fingers. She felt a wave of uneasiness as she watched him. Runo moved forward to take her wand from his hands, but the boy snatched it away from her grasp. She watched with a frown as the boy pocketed her wand in his robes and watched her with an amused smile.

"Look Tagame I'm going to need my wand in case the basilisk comes here! We don't have time to loose!" She tried reasoning with him, but the boy only stood there with his smirk and Runo's blood was starting to boil from anger and impatience.

"Oh don't worry, you won't be needing it Runo" He circled around her, a smile still gracing his lips "As for the basilisk, it will come until it's called" The girl's eyes never left the boy as she tried to find a meaning of the strange behavior. For the time being she reasoned that Silk Tagame wasn't someone she was going to trust.

"How did Shun get like this?" She asked softly, turning her vision back to the raven-haired boy. He was still lying down the floor and the girl could hardly hear his breathing. The girl was about to go to him, but Tagame intercepted her, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.

"Oh well let's remember shall we?" The Slytheirn student chuckled once more and turned to look at her directly "It all goes back to when our dear friend Shun Kazami started writing out his secrets in _my_ diary" The girl frowned but Tagame kept on talking, never breaking eye contact "He's not much of a talker but boy does he have problems. How his grandfather hardly pays attention to him, even though he's old age; how he relies on his best-friend enough to feel useless; how he's been driving away all of that he holds dear; how much he misses his dead parents" The boy kept on talking, finally a dark look crossing his eyes "How he despises himself"

"I'm not much of a people person, but I am a person who takes advantage of a situation. So I wrote back and he confided in me" Then he let out a high pitch laugh that even made Runo take a few steps back "And that was all I needed to get my plan in action. While dear Shun was pouring his soul in my diary, well you can guess that I in exchange poured a bit of _mine_ in his…"

"What are you talking about?" The blunette was really starting to freak out at the moment. She was really tempted to just shove Tagame to the floor and escape with Shun back to Hogwarts, but she felt unable to move.

"Let me give you a clue" He inched his head forward, eyes gleaming with malice "Shun Kazami opened the Chamber of Secrets. He has been leaving the blood messages on the wall. He got three Mudbloods and a cat petrified! He let out Salazar Slytherin's serpent free!"

"No" Runo's mouth was agape as she heard the boy talk. She turned to take a good look at Shun. Her friend looked so pale and frail, unusual from his stoic and strong composure. If what Tagame said was true, then Shun was indeed behind all of the attacks. He would be the one responsible for Baron, Marucho and Alice's petrification. Anger boiled inside of her, she knew Shun better than the ghost standing in front of her "No! You're wrong! He would never do that!"

"You can't deny the facts Runo" He said with amusement laced in his voice "Of course if he was in his right state of mind, he would never agree to harm a single soul, much less his friends" He let out a thunderous laugh "But boy is he a clever one. After the first attack he was quick enough to start building up the pieces until he finally stopped trusting my advice. He tried disposing of it countless of times, but an unexpected help came from a boy at his dorm until my diary came to _you_ , the one I was most anxious to meet"

He was in front of her, towering over her and Runo couldn't help feeling hopelessness settling on her body. She had to get Shun out of the chamber as fast as she could. Tagame quickly figured out her plan and shifted over next to Shun. An alarm was setting off in her mind as she watched him come closer to her friend, and before she knew it, the girl was standing between the two.

"And why would you want to meet me?" The blunette asked quite irritated now by the boy in front of her. She wanted answers and nothing more than to punch him square in his perfect jaw.

"Runo Misaki the ever loyal one" He let out a humorous hum "Shun here told me about you, about all of his friends. But your lightning scar intrigued me" He moved as if to touch her arm but she pulled away "So once you got your hands on my diary I decided to show you that awful accusation of Ingram" His nasty smile remained upon his lips.

"So Professor Ingram was right! He had nothing to do with the attacks neither his pet!" She felt her fists clenching at her sides as she watched the fifth year student merely looking at her "You framed him!"

"It was my word against his. But after all, Wyvern had to intervene" He made a scowl, clearly upset at remembering "I mean I was surprised the fools did believe Ingram was behind the attacks. As if a second year who sneaked out to raise werewolf cubs could do as such. After all I spent five years looking for the Chamber of Secrets until the fated year came by" He laughed once again, but a frown still remained on his face "Of course after the incident dear little Wyvern decided to keep a closer eye on me. So since I couldn't let the basilisk roam free as before, I decided to leave behind a diary. To preserve the memory of my fifth year until some day I would come back to finish Salazar Slytherin's work!"

"I bet Professor Wyvern knew right away you were behind everything!" Runo stepped closer to him, a triumphant smile settling on her face "And though luck since no one died this time around! Any minute now Professor Preyas' potion will bring back every person who was petrified!"

"Oh poor _me_ " He didn't even look faced at the accusations, his smile only widening more than before "I forgot to mention, killing Mudbloods wasn't on my list this year. Boy, my sights had been sent on _you_ " Runo's eyes widened, surely not expecting that statement.

"Imagine the disappointment when the next time the diary was opened, it was none other than Shun. Apparently the boy had seen you with it and crashed onto you on purpose to get it back. The fear and doubt was consuming him; what would you and your friends think once it was revealed that he was behind all of this?" Tagame sighed in a boring matter "But I knew what I had to do. From the information I had gathered from your friend, you and your bunch had been investigating this matter since the beginning. And you, Runo Misaki, would go to any length if your friends got involved" He hummed in amusement.

"So I made Shun write one last note, before coming here as we both awaited your arrival. The boy really put up a fight once he came to be, but he was so weak after. For you see, your friend here poured too much of his soul into the diary… so as reward there isn't much life left in him" Runo turned to look at her friend once again, biting her lip in worry "But I was sure you would come running for one of your friends. I have so many things to ask you"

"You sick monster!" The blunette lunged at him, but the boy was like thin air. She crashed into the floor but instantly got up to assault Tagame once again. He had a dark smirk up on his lips. He was really enjoying this.

"How was that you, a pathetic little girl with no talent whatsoever, could defeat one of the greatest wizards of all time?! How was that you Runo Misaki managed to escape Naga Amethyst's grasp with only a lightning scar?!" He hollered at her, but she stood firm on her place.

"Why do you care?!" She shouted back, taking a defensive stance in front of the lying body of Shun "Naga was way ahead of your time!"

Now shivers really did go down her spine once she noticed the look Tagame was giving her. The Slytherin prefect had his eyes narrowed but on his lips there stood a dark and ugly smile. All of the handsome features he possessed vanished in an instant, and Runo swore she could see a bit of red in his eyes.

"My dear Runo" He hummed "Naga Amethyst, is my past, present and future…" The boy's eyes changed from purple to a deep dark red, and Runo's mind froze. That stare she could recognize it anywhere, mostly her deepest and darkest nightmares. She felt her breath caught in her throat, unable to speak "Naga Amethyst was a name I already used in my years at Hogwarts. Of course only my closest allies knew of it. Did you really think I would keep using my filthy muggle name of my Mudblood of a father?! That I keep the name of a father who abandoned me and family because my mother was a witch?! No, the wizards everywhere needed to be reminded of fear!"

Runo couldn't speak as she stared, wide eyed at the younger version of Naga standing before her. He was the one who had been pulling the strings on Shun and he was causing havoc all over Hogwarts once again. She watched in shock at the boy who would grow up to murder her parents and so many more.

Suddenly a bird's cawing was heard inside the Chamber. The girl looked up to see what it seemed like a white bird with a long golden peacock tail, carrying a patched up bundle on its claws. Runo recognized the bird once it perched up on her shoulder and handed over the ragged bundle, purple eyes glinting at her.

" _Pearl?_ " The girl questioned as the bird turned to look at Naga straight in his eyes. The boy still had an amused smile but he was full of roaring laughter. The sounds echoed across the room as he steadied himself and looked over at Runo.

"This is what Wyvern sends her defender? A phoenix and the old Sorting Hat?!" Naga's eyes were glinting with malice and the blunette could see that his form was getting less blurry and more defined. She inspected the ragged bundle on her arms and indeed it the old Sorting Hat. If she were to duel with Tagame right now, she would be in a clear disadvantage "But do tell me Runo…" Naga's voice interrupted her from her thoughts as she looked over at him "We've met _twice_ in my future, and twice I was unable to kill you. How did _you_ survive?"

"I don't know why you lost your powers when you attacked me" She figured if she bought enough time, she could snatch her wand away from him "But I know why you couldn't _kill_ me. Because my mother protected me! Because my Muggleborn mother loved me and risked her life to protect me!" She shouted back at him, not afraid of any sort of backlash. Naga made a scowl, but kept on talking.

"Love is a powerful counter-charm I suppose" He added thoughtfully before replacing that look with a dark smile "But as I suspected, there's nothing special about you. For you see Runo, surely you must have noticed, we share similar traits. Both of us half-bloods, raised in orphanages, surrounded by Muggles, two of the latest Parselmouths here in Hogwarts. But as I said, nothing special" Now the boy moved closer to the statue located at the end of the passage "Now let's see if poor pathetic Runo can match with the powers of the greatest Naga Amethyst! _Come to me oh great beast of Slytherin!_ "

The statue's mouth started opening wider than before as Naga continued to speak in between hisses. Runo took a couple of steps back, clutching tightly the Sorting Hat to her chest, watching in horror as a beast started to move in between the shadows of the statue. She immediately closed her eyes, remembering the warning of coming face to face with a basilisk. She felt Pearl leaving her shoulder and taking flight as Runo clutched the Sorting Hat closer.

Then she heard it, a loud hiss, different from the one's coming out of Naga's mouth and her blood turned cold. She could hear the best slithering inside the room, probably something enormous coming her way. The girl was shaking from head to toe as the beast moved around the room. How was she going to fight that thing with her eyes closed?!

" _Kill her_ " Naga spoke and in an instant she heard the basilisk coming her way. Not knowing which way to go, the girl ran blindly to the sides, hoping to miss the beast. She cursed out loud once she felt the basilisk's mouth throwing her to the other side of the room. Now a different loud pitch hiss vibrated across the room and Runo squinted at the scene before her.

As she expected the basilisk was an enormous serpent, with a dark green skin covering its whole body, thick as an oak, was trashing around the room, still letting out hisses. The girl noticed that Pearl was flying above the beast, not afraid of it in the least. The phoenix dived right to the basilisk's face and started to pick on the serpent eye's with her beak. Blood splatted to the ground as the basilisk continued to trash and turned in Runo's direction. Its big yellow eyes were now filled with holes in them, blood gushing out of them.

" _FORGET THE BIRD! KILL THE GIRL IN FRONT OF YOU! YOU CAN SMELL HER_ " Naga snapped at it, but the beast did as told. The serpent closed its eyes and moved right in Runo's direction. The girl was shaking in fear, but she managed to dive out of harm's way, as the beast collided with the floor. Pearl was still flying above its head as the bird started singing a song.

"Someone" Runo muttered to herself "Someone please help me" She felt alone in the world at that moment. Her eyes noticed Shun's lying form, her grip tightening on the Sorting Hat. Not having another plan, the girl placed the Sorting Hat on her head and pleaded for help. She could hear the basilisk was moving again, and moved to the other side before its long tail crashed onto her. The girl felt a heavy thud oh her head, making her fall to the floor of the sheer pain of it. She almost passed out as the Sorting Hat fell to the floor, producing a loud thud.

It looked similar to a handle, a silver handle with glinting rubies at the hem. Runo rubbed on her head as she moved quickly towards it, the basilisk coming at her in any second. She quickly took hold of it and turned to face the beast. She was now holding a long, gleaming silver sword as the basilisk slithered towards her. Its bloody eyes were looking straight at her.

" _KILL HER! LUNGE AT HER!_ " Naga's voice was full of desperation as he commanded the serpent. The basilisk lunged blindly at her, and she managed to dodge at the last second. She didn't know how to use a sword. She barely knew how to use her wand, but a sword?! The girl tightened her grasp on the item's handle, hoping that she wouldn't miss. As the basilisk's head came towards her once more, mouth opened and fangs showing, the girl didn't think and thrust the sword into the beast's mouth.

A pool of blood was forming at the basilisk's head it's eyes fully closing, and the silver sword gleaming in the middle of its mouth. Runo felt an immense pain on her right lower arm as the blood continued to pour out. She was breathing hard as the basilisk crashed onto the ground and she finally noticed her wound. One of the beast's fangs, long and poisonous, was sinking deeper and deeper on her arm. The girl let out a hiss as she crashed to the floor and wrenched the fang out of her arm. But she knew it was too late, the poison was spreading through her body and her mind was in circles.

Pearl was next to her in a second, hovering over her wounded arm. Runo gave her a small smile, already tired of breathing. She was really tempted to close her eyes, but she needed to know if Shun was all right now. The girl felt a few drops of water falling onto her wound and watched in sadness as Pearl cried in front of her.

"And that's how it ends" Naga happily declared, as he moved towards her "That's how Runo Misaki dies. Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, unable to help her friend and at long last defeated by Naga Amethyst. Don't worry soon enough you'll meet your Mudblood mother"

Runo's pain was washing away and she really thought that dying didn't sound like such a bad idea. But her mind re-focused and she was able to see more clearly. She noticed that Pearl was still hovering over her, but the wound on her arm was gone, like it never happened. Just a hole on her robes was left in her.

"You stupid bird!" Naga bellowed as he took out Runo's wand from his robes and a red streak came straight towards Pearl. The bird managed to fly out of harm's way as Naga let out a frustrated hiss "Healing tears, how could I forget?!" The bunette barely managed to sit up as she looked over at him. She could lunge at him and maybe take her wand from him, but in her state she would end up dead. Suddenly something dropped on her lap, as both students turned to look at it.

The black journal was lying just on her lap. None of them said anything as they stared at it. Not even blinking Runo took hold of the basilisk's fang, lying next to her on the floor, and thrust a hole inside of the journal. Instantly a wave of black ink came out of the journal, accompanied with a piercing scream. The blunette didn't hesitate as she kept on plunging the fang onto the book. She looked up for a split second, seeing the form of Silk Tagame fading into nothingness. He gave one last look of hatred before disappearing completely.

Her wand fell to the floor and the only sound across the room was the ink still flowing out the journal and soaking her robes in the process. A hole was left at the center of the diary as Runo pulled out the fang. Letting out a shuddering breath and with a shaking body, the girl managed to stand up, pick up her wand, the journal and the Sorting Hat. She went over to the corpse of the basilisk as with a forceful tug, took out the sword from the beast's head.

She then heard a soft grunt from the back of the Chamber. She turned and saw as Shun sat up on his place, rubbing his head and an expression full of pain. He looked around the room in shock and even more surprised once he noticed the lying corpse of the basilisk, before his eyes settled on Runo. His eyes widened considerably and the girl couldn't help but to run at him and give him a big hug.

" _Shun!_ " She let out a sigh of relief "I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried you weren't going to wake up!" She let go of him, and examined his face to see if there were any injuries around it.

"Runo…" He looked surprised and shocked once he saw the state she was in. If she saw herself she would probably be shocked as well "What, what happened to you?! You're all bloody and with ink everywhere!" He sounded worried as they both managed to stand up.

"Oh don't worry about me. First we need to go back to Julie to get out of here" She looked back at the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets, and there was Pearl, patiently waiting for them "Come on Shun, let's go" She was about to walk away, but Shun grabbed on to her lower arm, making her turn around and look at him with confusion.

"I'm sorry" A remorseful look crossed his face "I was the one behind all of this, because I let Tagame took hold of me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything sooner, it's just…" He was struggling with words, his voice heavy as he spoke "I didn't want any of you guys to involve yourselves, that's why I pushed you away and said such hurtful things" He bit down on his lips, eyes casted to the floor "And then I fought with Dan and when I saw you with the diary Runo, I knew I needed to get rid of it. But then Tagame took hold of me and I ended up hurting Alice…" Shun was slightly trembling as he drifted off.

"It's all right" Runo gave him a small smile, as she held up the journal for him to see "Look Tagame's finished, he won't come back to us anymore. And I'm sure if you talk things with Alice and Dan, they'll forgive you. I mean that's what being friends is about" She gave him another smile and she could even see a small smile on his lips as well "Now let's get out of here!" Both of them ran towards Pearl and exited the Chamber of Secrets, its door closing behind them with a slight hiss.

Runo slammed Professor Tigrerra's door open, quite startling the people inside. After Shun and her exited the Chamber of Secrets, they met up with a quite teary eyed Julie. She managed to open an exit for them in between the rocks and didn't hesitate in hugging them after they passed through the hole. The Hufflepuff cried happy tears as Pearl perched on Runo's shoulder and picked her up with ease. The other two students held onto to the blunette for dear life as the phoenix flew towards inside the pipe. And in a matter of seconds they were once again inside the Girl's Bathroom. They were greeted with a wide-eyed Harpus, but the teens paid it no mind and went straight for the Head of the House of Gryffindor.

The trio was all covered in mud and sticky stuff, except for Runo who was mostly covered in blood and ink. There was split second of silence before the sound of a chair falling down was heard.

" _Shun!_ " Mrs. Kuso leapt out of her chair and enveloped the Slytherin in a hug, closely followed by Mr. Kuso. Dan stood behind them shock all over his face as he noticed the three of them. Runo looked past them as found Wyvern looking at her with a small smile, Tigrerra's face full of surprise and a very wimpy looking Professor Knight. Instantly Pearl flew to the other side of the room and perch herself on Wyvern's shoulder.

" _Oh Runo!_ You saved him!" Suddenly Runo found herself being hugged tightly by Mrs. Kuso, Julie being in the same position as her. The brunette let go of them, and Runo could see tears falling freely out her eyes "How did you do it?" Mr. Kuso didn't waste time and hugged her as well, and the blunette really did fell quite on the spot at receiving too much affection.

"That's what we would like to hear as well" Professor Tigrerra intervened, crossing the room to stand in front of the blunette "What happened to you Runo? You're all covered in blood!" The girl hesitated for a moment, deciding on what to say. If she said Shun was the one behind it, he could get expelled, but if she said that Naga was behind it all, they would think she was crazy.

Runo let out a long sigh and walked towards the wooden desk at the middle of the room. Professor Knight was nervously staring at her, but she ignored him completely. The girl placed the silver sword, the diary and the Sorting Hat on top of it. That's when Runo started telling them everything. Everything that had transpired during their Second Year; to the voice she heard when the cat was petrified; how both Marucho and Alice figured out that the beast was a basilisk; how Julie guessed that Harpus was the victim fifty years ago; how she managed to open the Chamber of Secrets.

There was an eerie silence after she stopped. Everyone was staring at her, wide-eyed as they took the information in. Shun was currently standing next to Mrs. Kuso and Dan, who looked quite troubled from her point of view. Knight just looked away, clearly shaking up and down as he heard the tale and the fact that Julie was sending him a death glare.

"So you found out where the entrance was, only telling Klaus Knight about your whereabouts and breaking a thousand school rules in the process" Tigrerra rubbed in between her eyes, quite exasperated at the whole thing "But Runo, how did you get out of there _alive_?"

The girl looked back at the diary, hesitating if she should tell them about all of Naga's doing and how Shun was the one pulled in it. She exchanged looks with Shun, who looked ready to tell the story himself. That's when a chuckle from Wyvern intervened as she strode and stood next to Runo.

"What I want to know is how Naga managed to bewitch Shun, when sources tell me he's hiding in Albania" She looked at the girl with a small smile. Runo felt relief flooding her body as Mr. Kuso interrupted.

"W-Wait" He had shock written all over his face as well as his wife "Y-You mean to tell me that You-Know-Who enchanted Shun?" Mrs. Kuso placed a hand over her mouth quite surprised at the information.

"It was the diary" Runo interjected. The girl moved and showed them the black journal "Naga or his real name, Tagame, wrote it when he was in his fifth year of Hogwarts and apparently his memory was brought somehow to life" She gave it to Wyvern, as the woman inspected it. She looked calm enough, but Runo could notice a faint look of hurt and anger flashing before her eyes.

"As the one of the most brilliants students here in Hogwarts, he certainly doesn't disappoint" Wyvern said softly "Silk Tagame was once a student here in Hogwarts, I was a fellow classmate of his. But at that time, no one would've thought that the Slytherin prefect would turn out to be Naga Amethyst"

"But _how_?" Miyuki Kuso looked quite shaken up "How did Shun get caught in all of this?"

"I found the diary in my cauldron" Shun explained in a hoarse voice "I've been writing in it since the start of the school year and he's been responding back to me"

"What?!" Dan snapped at his best friend "How many times do I need to remind you? Never trust anything that can speak for itself! You should've told us!" Runo smiled softly as she watched Shun scratching his head, and the brunette still rambling on to him. How the tables have turned.

"It was on my cauldron when we went to Flourish and Botts. I didn't think it belonged to You-Know-Who" Shun said back, but the brunette wasn't holding back and was still scolding him for listening to a 'stupid old book' "Look Dan I'm sorry, but I didn't want to drag you into all of this"

"Drag me?!" He shouted back, quite startling the people inside the room "Do you think I'm some kind of weight to you?! I'm your friend dammit! Friends stick for each other! Is this why you been acting so strange this year?!" Runo was about to interfere but Wyvern pulled her back and motioned for her to keep on looking.

"It's because you're my closest friend that I didn't want to drag you in it idiot!" Shun finally snapped back at him, surprising the brunette at seeing him so agitated "The reason I pushed you all away is because at some point I figured the journal was controlling me and I didn't want to hurt any of you! But that didn't even work…"

"Of course it wouldn't work _dumbass_!" Miyuki gave Dan a stern look for using such a word, but the brunette wasn't holding back "I mean you should figure it out by now that we would drag ourselves into it! And even more if one of our friends was enchanted by You-Know-Who! So…" He though on it for a moment, a slight crack in his voice as he spoke "Don't ever think about leaving us behind again, you got it?!" Runo saw how Dan rubbed his eyes and looked back at the Slytherin. The boy gave his friend one rare smile, that was full of gratitude.

"Well it looks like Mr. Kuso and Mr. Kazami worked out their problems" Wyvern said softly "Why don't you head down to the Infirmary Mr. Kazami. This was a terrible ordeal and one that no Second Year student must face. There will come no punishment for you. Go and rest, I'm sure your grandfather will arrive in no time" Shun's eyes widened at the statement and the Headmistress just chuckled "Yes, Haruko Kazami just informed us that he's on his way, you should meet up with him at the Infirmary. Mr. Kuso you should accompany him in case anything comes up"

With that Shun, Dan and his family exited the room, the brunette still bickering with the Slytherin. But from afar Runo could see that Shun felt more relaxed and at ease than she's ever before.

"And as for you Klaus Knight" Finally Wyvern addressed the shaking professor in the room. He looked like a deer in headlights as he turned to the woman, shaking more as he took in the look she was giving him "It seems that it wasn't a lie what you told us. And here we thought you were one of the most qualified people to go and save Mr. Kazami from the basilisk"

"I-I mean, I knew Runo Misaki could handle it!" He tried saying it cheerfully, but his voice was stuttering so much that it was hard to understand him "I let myself get hit by Miss Makimoto, so they could show themselves as heroes!"

"And risk their lives in the process?" Tigrerra gave him one of the iciest glares that even made Runo feel sorry for the man "I just don't think that's a qualified ability for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher" The woman shrugged and Knight turned into a more nervous mess, looking between Wyvern and Tigrerra.

"Lucky for you Pyrus Drago finally returned from his trip and we won't be needing you to fill his duty anymore" Wyvern waved off her hand "So without further ado Klaus Knight you are fired from the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts. You can pick up your things and leave first thing in the morning" Runo and Julie both exchanged surprised looks as Knight tried to say something but only stood up and left the room.

"Well with that out of our hands" Professor Tigrerra turned to look at the two of them, clearly not happy about the situation "What proceeds after this Wyvern?" The girls exchanged worried looks. Surely they wouldn't get expelled, right?

"Like Professor Tigrerra said before, you broke a thousand rules during this ordeal" Wyvern started saying, but quickly broke off in a grin "And it only shows the bravery inside the two of you. You won't be punished for any of this and you will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School. And of course 200 points for each of your houses"

Both girls smiled happily and hugged each other out of pure relief. Finally Runo was able to breathe peacefully. So far, everything had turned out all right and she couldn't be more content than that. The only thing left was for Alice and Marucho to wake up from their petrification.

"Professor Tigrerra I think this calls for a feast" The Headmistress declared happily "Go on and inform the kitchens on my behalf? Accompany the professor Miss Julie, I need to discuss something else with Miss Runo" The Hufflepuff gave her friend a worried look but went after the Transfiguration Professor, leaving the Headmistress and Runo alone.

"Come sit with me Runo" The Headmistress motioned for her to come closer to the chairs next to the fireplace. The girl didn't argue and sat down on the closest one next to Wyvern "First of all I'm eternally grateful to you and eternally sorry as well. No child should have to go through the same experience as you and as well if it weren't for you many other students would've been attacked" The woman smiled at her, but she came closer a serious expression settling on her eyes "And you've met with Silk Tagame, and if I'm correct he had interest in you…"

"Professor Wyvern there is something that he said that troubles me…" Runo's mouth spoke before she even registered it "He said we shared similar traits and I…" The girl honestly didn't even know how to feel about it "Maybe I'm more connected to him than I thought, but I honestly don't know. I mean we both speak Parseltoungue"

"And do you honestly think that Runo?" Wyvern said in a thoughtful manner "The reason you know Parseltoungue is because Naga, a clear descendant of Salazar Slytherin, transferred some of his abilities to you, the day he attacked you"

"So then we are _alike_?!" The girl eye's widened in fear "Maybe I was the cause of all of this mess?! After all he did say he was after me, but-" She was about to go on rambling but Wyvern stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"It is true that you share same abilities, as well as similar traits that Salazar Slytherin favored in his students" Then she gave her a smile "But remember, the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor for something, and I can't think of a bigger proof than this" The woman stood up and handed her the silver sword.

Runo took it in her hands and with more caution examined the handle of it. There she could see a name engraved at the middle of it. _'Godric Gryffindor'_ Her face was full of surprise and did a double take at the name.

"Only a true Gryffindor could've pulled out the sword of the very same founder out of the Sorting Hat" The Headmistress declared and moved over to Tigrerra's desk "Runo you should head down to the Hospital Wing and meet up with your friends, and maybe even shower at the most. Don't want the kids to get a heart attack after seeing you like that" She laughed and took out a parchment and a quill from the desk "As for me I'd like to send a letter to the Minister, I'm sure he'll be glad to know that this attacks stopped and give us back our beloved Professor Ingram"

The door was slammed open, quite startling Runo as she turned around to see who was the new visitor. On the entrance there stood Zenoheald Prince, a full scowl on his face, robes quite shaggy and Aerogan by his feet, trying to brush his shoes. The blunette grimaced as she noticed new bandages on the elf's body.

"If I remember correctly you were suspended from your duties Headmistress Wyvern" The man tried to say as calm as possible but the scowl on his face wasn't helping "Or are you ignoring the clear suspension from the Governors?" He strode inside the room as if he owned it, kicking Aerogan in the process.

"Oh Zenoheald Prince, good evening. Always a pleasure to greet you here at Hogwarts" Wyvern gave him a flat smile, still writing the letter "I did receive the notice of Suspension, but when the news broke out that Shun Kazami was the student who was taken to the Chamber of Secrets, the Minister of Magic begged me to come back" The woman finally looked up to him, amusement on her eyes "As well as the other Governors. They mentioned threats were being made to their families if I wasn't suspended. It isn't the first time you use such methods Zenoheald"

The man didn't answer a thing, his eyes only sneering at the woman in front of him. Runo ignored him and focused on Aerogan who was giving her weird hand motions. The elf started pointing at Zenoheald and then at the diary, but the girl was at complete loss.

"So have you stopped the attacks then?" Prince tried to gain the upper hand somehow but Wyvern was as calm as ever.

"We have" She said.

"So who was the culprit then?" He asked sternly.

"Oh I'm sure you must by now Zenoheald. It was Naga Amethyst once gain, but he was acting through someone else through this journal" The woman held up the diary for him to see it. Aerogan once again started pointing at it, then to his master. Runo watched confused, her mind trying to connect the dots somehow.

"I have to admit, Naga was quite clever this time" Wyvern was watching Zenoheald closely, as if inspecting him "Because if Runo and her friend Julie hadn't found the diary, then it would befall all the blame on Shun Kazami" Zenoheald kept silent, his hands clasped tightly at his back.

"And imagine what would've happened then…Haruko Kazami the Head Auror would've loose his position in an instant if it was found that his grandson was killing Muggleborns. Surely chaos would ensure the Ministry of Magic" Prince kept quiet, while Aerogan kept doing his weird hand motions. And then it clicked to Runo, the image of Shun and Mr. Prince arguing at Flourish and Botts fresh on her mind.

"Wouldn't you like to know how Shun got this journal Mr. Prince?" Runo intervened. The man gave her a brief glance, as she took the journal from Wyvern's hand and showed it to him. The man was about to open his mouth but the girl beat him to it "Because you gave it to him at Flourish and Botts, when you gave him his books"

"Prove it!" The man was furious from head to toe, but the blunette didn't even step back from her spot.

"Oh no we won't be able to do that. Now that Tagame's memory vanished there's no way we can do it." The woman's demeanor changed drastically, dark glare settling on her features. It certainly made Runo back away from her "I would advise you to stop giving out Naga's old belongings and putting my students lives in danger Prince"

"We're leaving Aerogan!" The man strode out of the room as fast as he could, kicking the elf in the process as he shut down the door. Runo only stood at the back of the door, an idea popping up on her mind.

"Professor Wyvern could I give back the diary to Mr. Prince?" The woman nodded and without further ado the girl dashed out of the room. She quickly tore her sticky sock out her foot as she ran to catch up to Zenoheald Prince. She could hear the distant cries of Aerogan as she reached them "Wait Mr. Prince you forgot something!" The man turned to her with a sneer as she thrust the journal on his hands and her sock dangling out of it.

"What is this?!" The man instantly threw the sock away, landing perfectly on Aerogan's hands. He took the journal and hid it in his pocket, turning to her with a glare "Listen to me closely Runo Misaki, one of these days you'll meet the same fate as your parents, I'll make sure of it! Let's go Aerogan!" He turned to leave but the elf was standing next to the blunette, clutching the sock with his hands "Aerogan we're leaving!"

"The master gave Aerogan a piece of cloth!" The elf exclaimed happily, twirling on his spot "Aerogan is finally free!" He started dancing out pure joy, that Runo couldn't help but to laugh. On the other hand…

"You lost me my servant Misaki!" The man was furious. He took out his wand and strode over to her. The blunette was about to reach out for her wand as well, but suddenly the man was sending crashing down to the floor. Runo only looked to her side, seeing Aerogan pointing at the man with his index finger.

"Do not bring any harm to Mistress Runo!" He pointed his finger at Prince again "You shall go now, and don't even think about harming Mistress Runo!" With that Zenoheald was out of sight, fuming as he went away. Aerogan then threw his arms around the girl's legs and hugger her tightly "Mistress Runo freed Aerogan! Aerogan is finally free!"

"Oh come on now Aerogan" The blunette chuckled, patting his head in the process "It's the least I could do. Though you did give me a lot of trouble during the year, just don't try to save my life again" She said as the elf let her go, showing her a toothy grin.

"I make no promises Mistress Runo!" The elf turned to her one last time and smiled once again "Farewelll Mistress! We'll see each other soon!" And with a loud crack the elf disappeared into thin air. The blunette only smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and looking down at herself. Wyvern was right she was such a bloody mess. But she couldn't waste another second.

Runo smiled happily as she ran in the direction of the Hospital Wing. If she recalled correctly, Alice and Marucho could wake up any second. The girl quickly got to her destination and opened the door. She was about to look for her two friends but a rough voice interrupted her.

"Excuse me are you by any chance Runo Misaki?" A man in about his sixties was standing in front of her. He was quite short, with white hair pulled back in a ponytail and a long beard and moustache, wearing dark green and blue robes. Shun was standing next to him, a calm expression on his face.

"Yes I am." She answered back.

"Nice to finally meet you, I'm Haruko Kazami, Shun's grandfather. I just wanted to show you my thanks and apologize for all the trouble my grandson caused you" As if on cue, both of them bowed down to her.

"Oh! There's no need to worry really!" She nervously claimed "I mean Shun is my friend of course I would help him!" Both of them stood up again, the old man showing her a grateful smile.

"Well I'm glad Tatsuo's daughter is just as friendly as he was" He turned to Shun and chuckled "Seems like you got yourself a pretty good bunch of friends" The boy only to him with a small smile "Well I have to head back to the Ministry of Magic now, can you manage or would you like me to stay a bit more?"

"It's alright grandfather, I think I'm better now" Shun nodded at him but then added "Just make sure you're around during summer vacation"

"Will do" The man chuckled as he exited the Hospital Wing "I'm taking my leave now, I'll see you when you get back!" And with that the man disappeared in front of them. The blunette was about to ask about him but the calling of her name stopped her. She turned her head and could finally smile without any problems. Standing a few beds away there was Alice, Marucho and Baron looking very much alive, and around them there was Dan and Julie.

"Runo! What happened to you?!" Was the first thing out of Alice's mouth and the blunette couldn't help but to laugh. After that she remembered running straight at the redhead and enveloping her in a big hug, she doing the same.

"I'm so glad you're awake now!" The blunette exclaimed as she let go of Alice and immediately went and hugged Marucho. The blonde boy was quite startled at the contact but returned the hug anyways "We were all so worried about you!" She let go of the boy and even though she didn't knew Baron very much, she gave him a quick hug. Once she let go she could see the boy was looking at her in awe.

"Miss Runo just hugged me! I can die in peace now!" He exclaimed to no one in particular and Runo just stared at him confused. The girl chuckled nonetheless and went back to sit down on Alice's bed.

"Julie told us what happened! You managed to solve it!" The redhead announced with a cheery smile "Marucho and I were afraid we wouldn't be able to tell you on time"

"We wouldn't find out about it if you hadn't taken a page from the book though" The blunette added "It was a real life saver, thank you"

"By the time I reached the library Alice had already found out about it" Marucho was sitting on the bed next to them, Dan sitting beside him "So we figured if anything happened to us, it would be best to leave with the clues"

"What I want to know now" The brunette intervened, looking at the blunette with a frown "Is what did you do Runo to end up like that! I mean you have a bloody hole on your robes and ink all around it!"

"Oh this?" The girl showed up her torn right sleeve, recalling the basilisk fang that had injured her "Well it wasn't pretty if you want to know" She released a dry laugh "I'll tell you after the feast, don't want to recall all of that right now"

"Hey Shun!" Dan shouted back at the Slytherin. The boy was still standing at the entrance of the Hospital Wing as he turned to look at the brunette "Don't go bailing on us right now okay? We'll enter the Slytherin common room if necessary!"

"I'm not hiding or anything Dan" The raven haired boy as he approached them with a smile "I was just thinking about everything that happened down at the Chamber of Secrets…" He gave a thoughtful glance towards Runo, surely questions floating in his mind.

"Let's enjoy the peace for some time" Alice brightened up sending Shun a small smile "You don't have to beat yourself up because of it, you already apologized and we forgive you"

"Still…" The boy grimaced "If what Professor Wyvern said was true, about You-Know-Who being behind all of this-"

"Hey let's talk about that later" Runo interrupted him "Like Alice said let's enjoy the peace and go to the Great Hall for the gigantic feast that it's waiting for us!"

"I'm with Runo here" Julie got up from her spot and motioned for everyone to follow her in the direction of the Great Hall. They all exchanged amused looks but did as told, everyone looking forward to the delicious food awaiting them. Runo watched as her five friends along with Baron walked to the exit of the Hospital Wing. She could finally breathe in relief. As far it got, her friends were safe and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! So the Second Year is finally over! YAY! Sorry for the long wait for the chapter haha I got to Spain like four days ago and I've been cleaning up all of the place and getting used to the city along with my roommates. So yeah things have been pretty busy lately. But oh well I found time to update this before the school starts and my life is filled with stress. Tell e what you thought about the end of the year I really liked how Dan and Shun reconciled and the whole basilisk scene.**

 **For the Third Year so far I've only typed like three chapters and I'm really not sure when I will start the fourth one or anything so please bear with me and I'll try to update this story along with the other ones as soon as I can. So far the Third Year has some changes to the HP book that I hope you all will like.**

 **The next update might be in a long time, so sorry about that! But I'll try to update as soon as I can! Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for all of the support so far and like always if you have any comment or question you can write a review or PM me! Have a great week!**

PS. Check out my bio since I'll be explaining why I won't be able to update as frequently as before! Thank you!


	18. Third Year: Fancy Disaster

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **\- Fancy Disaster**

" _Lumos_ " Runo Misaki whispered into the night. The tip of her wand produced a small ball of light and illuminated her room. With dread settling on her face, the girl reached under her bed to pick out a parchment and her Potions book, before Bella Black came storming into her room.

Time seemed to slow down whenever she came back from her year at Hogwarts. The orphanage wasn't any better from what she remembered. The kids all looked out for themselves and the caretakers could care less about them, while Bella Black unleashed all of her hatred and malice upon her. Runo could still feel pain shooting down her back from the constant pushing around.

The girl only sighed and continued on writing down on her parchment an essay for Professor Gehabic and his class. The teachers at Hogwarts didn't hold back either. She had a ton of homework to catch up to and the only time she was able to do it was at night, where Black wasn't bossing her around. The blunette rubbed her temple trying to come up with her next sentence when a slight thump on her window snapped her out of it.

Perched up on the window there stood her trustworthy white owl, Lumos, accompanied with a fancy Tawny owl and a very know Brown Owl named Topaz. The girl moved towards the window to let them inside, and they flew into the room with ease. Lumos went to her and rubbed on her hand with affection. Runo smiled and rubbed her head as the owl went towards her cage to drink water.

The only reason she was able to let Lumos out of her cage was purely because Bella Black hadn't spotted her doing so. The Snowy Owl would leave her room at night and return two or three days after to visit her. Runo wasn't even preoccupied, she knew her pet was quite smart and would always end up finding her. Topaz moved towards her as he presented her with a big brown box. The girl curious untied the box from its legs and placed it over her bed. The Tawny Owl had a small envelope as well, and Runo released it from its legs. The owl didn't waste time and flew out of the window in no time. She finally noticed that Lumos in fact had another package as well, and picked it up.

The blunette plopped on her bed and decided to open up the Lumos' package first. Inside the box there was a box of Liquorice Wands and Pumpkin Pasties, with a big red bow on the middle and a note that said _'Happy Birthday girl! – Julie'_. The girl's eyes widened as she looked over to her clock wall. It was somewhere past 1 am and it was already July 31st. She had completely forgotten about her birthday! The girl looked down at her presents a surprised smile on her face and she moved to the other items inside the box.

There was also a small red velvet box, inside a small pair of pearl earrings from Marucho. She really wondered how much it had cost him, but they were beautiful. Also there was a Broomstick Servicing Kit, with a note ' _Happy Birthday Runo! I think I should give you a helmet instead of this, hope you like it! – Alice'_. The girl was smiling brightly as she opened it and saw all of materials inside the wooden box. She placed all of her new gifts under her bed, wouldn't want Bella Black to see them.

The girl picked up the parchment from Topaz, just as the owl flew out of her room. She opened it and the first thing she saw was a small letter folded up at the center of it. The girl picked it up and began reading right away.

 _Hey kid!_

 _Long time no see right? Ever since we finished the school year we haven't heard anything from you, but I suppose that has to do with Bella Black being in charge. Anyways I'm writing this letter just to catch you up on things! I assume you haven't read the Daily Prophet and such. My dad was given the position for teacher at Hogwarts! Crazy right? Anyway he'll be imparting Muggle Studies starting next year and will leave his job at the ministry._

 _Oh I almost forgot! Since he's leaving his job, the ministry gave him a promotion and we went to a trip to Japan! It was super fun! Shun and his grandfather accompanied us, Kenta and Kenji along with my aunt as well! I left you a photo on the package for you to see. There's also three presents for your birthday. Hope to see you soon! Maybe Shun and I can break you out of the orphanage before you know it!_

 _\- Dan_

The girl smiled at the letter as she picked up the photo to see it. At the background there was the Mount Fuji with thousand cherry blossom trees around them. At the photo there was Mr. and Mrs. Kuso happily hugging each other, Dan smiling widely at the camera while Shun looked the other way, Shun's grandfather proudly standing beside him, Kenta and Kenji doing a weird pose together and a woman with dark purple hair behind them, wearing a lovely smile. She supposed that was their mother.

She picked up the next three items inside the package. There was a bag full of Japanese candy inside of them along with a small firecracker, courtesy of the twins; a small box of Sweet Crystals along with a Peacock Quill from Shun; and a small pocket notebook with the golden engraving of her name. It had cherry blossoms painted on the front and a white tiger emerging from the sides. It was definitely from Dan, the girl thought as she tucked it with the rest of her presents.

Now she opened the envelope from the Tawny Owl, immediately recognizing the Hogwarts emblem at the front. There were two letters inside the envelope. The first letter was from Professor Drago while the other from Professor Tigrerra.

Without a thought the girl opened the second one. There was full box of Sugared Buttefly Wings with a lovely bow on front. She found a little note at the front of it that read _'Happy Birthday Runo! Hope to see you next year!'_ The girl smiled and hid away the sweets as well as she took out Professor Drago's letter. Inside there was permission form along with a letter written by her Head of the House.

 _Dear Miss Misaki_

 _Please note that the new school year will begin on September first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock._

 _Third Years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign._

 _A list of books for next year in enclosed._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Pyrus Drago_

 _Deputy Headmaster_

The girl felt her happiness vanish in a matter of seconds. As if Bella Black was going to sign anything related to her school, much less anything related to her. It was a hopeless case, since the other caretakers were equally afraid of her and wouldn't risk their necks for someone like her.

Quickly the girl took hold of a roll of parchment and wrote a quick letter to Dan, messy handwriting and all. She quickly sealed it and walked over to Lumos. The owl looked at her as if annoyed that she was disturbing her peaceful time. The pet still moved out of her cage and stretched out her tiny leg.

Runo smiled softly and tied the letter to her. Lumos gave her one last look and then flew out the window, Topaz quickly following behind. She looked back at their retreating forms. The blunette sighed dramatically, her eyes feeling heavy from her lack of sleep. Runo decided to finish her homework on the next day, and hid her things underneath her bed. Without further ado the girl fell asleep, forgetting completely that she was a thirteen old girl by now.

* * *

"Remember you mustn't talk to any of our guests! You will only serve them beverages and food, agreed?!" Bella Black marched in front of a small group of teenagers barking out orders for the very important dinner that was going to be held that night at the orphanage. Runo rubbed her eyes tiredly and brushing one of her loose strand of hair back in her ponytail.

Apparently dozens of couples were visiting the Wool's Orphanage in hopes of knowing more about it and maybe even 'adopting' a child. The blunette rolled her eyes, from what she had heard in between whispers, children who ended up adopted from these events where treated horribly back at their new homes.

Runo held up a silver tray with several wines and tried to walk inside the much more lively main hall. Her feet were aching, since the shoes she always wore didn't fit at all anymore, as well as the undersized maid dress she was wearing.

She had grown a couple of inches and her face had become slender than before. She figured it had something to do with puberty since blood was starting to stain most of her undergarments and horrible cramps happened to her twice a month. The girl sighed as she positioned herself at the table in the center where Bella Black would dine with her most important guests.

The main hall was shining thanks to the chandelier hanging at the center of the room, and the usual black curtains had been removed from the windows, and replaced with ones in a dark blue tone. Round tables were adorning the floor along with their respective chairs. Each of the tables had an expensive centerpiece, with white and black flowers to adorn it.

"Listen to me _very_ carefully Misaki" The older woman growled as she stood next to her "If you by any chance mention or even say a word related to your school, I'll make sure you will be severely punished" The blunette glared at her but said nothing back. If she wanted her permission slip signed, she would stand the woman's insults and then get her drunk enough for her to agree.

The woman glared at her one last time before going back at the entrance of the orphanage. If Bella Black thought she looked presentable, she should've looked harder in the mirror. Runo rolled her eyes and inhaled deeply. She was sure the people that were coming here were anything but good. She should be able to keep in check her emotions before some sort of disaster happens. Her wand was still hiding beneath her dress so it was enough with that.

One of the orphans working opened up the glass doors that lead to the backyard of the building, and Runo felt a light breeze. The girl turned her head to look out into the backyard and was met with a pair of bright grey hues looking back at her. Startled the girl took a step back, almost crashing into a chair, but managing to regain her composure. She looked back but the eyes were long gone. The girl released a shaky breath and tried to stay calm as before.

"Please come this way!" The voice of Bella Black rang inside the room and all of the staff stood rigidly next to their respective tables. An ominous music started playing in the background and Runo could feel the same pair of hues staring at her. Numerous people started filling up the main hall and taking in their seats.

"Oh Bella! How good it is to see you!" A woman in a black fur coat hugged Black as she entered and the two started chattering as if they were best friends since forever "Have you heard the news lately? Apparently a serial killer is on the loose!"

"Why I have heard no such thing Mrs. Miranda" Black guided her towards the table Runo was working "With all of the things happening at the orphanage I haven't had time to read the paper or see the news"

"Well then let me inform you. The man's name is Soichiro Hoshi" The girl didn't pay them much attention as she poured wine and beverages to the other guests "According to the police, around twelve years ago the man killed around thirteen people on the spot and he broke out of prison about now! They say the man is on the loose and has been sighted at the outskirts of London!"

"We must be strong Mrs. Miranda and stick together as a community" Black patted her hands in almost an affectionate manner. Runo rolled her eyes, how fake were this people in reality? They all acted as if they were the closest family and so far she had heard nothing but rumors and whispers amongst themselves. It was quite sickening.

As the name of the man called Soichiro Hoshi was mentioned, almost every table started talking about him. How he had killed thirteen people out of nowhere; how he started laughing when it happened; how he was an absolute madman. Of course Runo didn't know anything about the guy but she was sure he wasn't any better than these people.

"Oh Bella!" A well-known voice reached her ears and the girl couldn't help but to shudder. It was an old fat woman with a quite tight and brown suit placed on, as well as a ferret scarf. Behind her came her husband a tall, lanky man with a large and pointy nose, carrying what seemed to be one of the fattest pugs the girl had ever seen. It was The Jenkins, the next-door neighbors of the orphanage, which owned a large pack of fat old pugs.

Runo wasn't fond of them at all. The couple would visit the orphanage often, along with their pack of fat dogs and everything would go to chaos. Even the other orphans hated the visits of The Jenkins, but they had no other choice but to zip it. The blunette was in constant disputes with Mrs. Jenkins. The woman would always find some sort of disaster to link at Runo and of course she would get three days without eating.

"Alicia Jenkins!" Bella Black said it in such high pitch that Runo thought her ears would pop "So glad to see you!" They embraced together as if they were the best friends. Then Black moved and greeted Mr. Jenkins along with the dog, whom was spluttering saliva all over the floor.

"Oh so you're still here?" The large woman said with a sneer on her face directed at her.

"I could say the same thing about you" The blunette said in a low voice as she pulled out a chair for her to sit on. Mrs. Jenkins snorted and took another seat on the table. Runo released a frustrated growl but tried thinking back on the permission slip for Hogsmeade. She would have to endure this for a while.

"I want none of this attitude, got it Misaki?" Black whispered next to her and the girl refrained from saying another comment on the topic. More adults started flooding the whole main hall, each of them loudly boasting about their own success or big loans of money while simultaneously talking behind their backs.

And so the night continued, the blunette, quite uncomfortable, would serve them drinks and listen to their complaints non-stop between each other. Black would often send glares her way and then resume her chattering with a cheery voice. Runo still felt watched and would glance every once in a while to the backyard, but the grey eyes were no longer there.

"Are you listening?! I need more wine!" The shrilly voice of Mrs. Jenkins reached her ears and dread rested on her face. She was tinkling her cup in an annoying manner "Are you deaf or what?!" Runo bit back a comment and resumed to pour out the drink in her large cup. Bella scowled back at her and the girl didn't hesitate to do the same.

"What about her Bella how did _she_ end up in your doorstep?" Mr. Jenkins, a man with a large and pointy nose asked quite loudly for her to listen. All of the adults at her table glanced at her and then back at Black, curiosity clear in their eyes.

"Well it all happened in one dreadful night of Halloween" Black faked her sweet tone of voice as she explained "It was past midnight and I heard the knocking of the door. Of course I went to check it right away but the only thing left was a baby girl wrapped in a towel" The woman faked a tear and the girl only rolled her eyes.

"The poor thing!" A woman she didn't recognize said in pity "How did you manage taking care of her?"

"It wasn't easy" Black spoke as if she had been struggling all this time "The girl doesn't appreciate my efforts very much, always so rebellious and selfish" Runo glared at her but the woman continued "But one does what she can"

"If she would've been left at my doorstep I wouldn't hesitate to leave her at a Secure Children's Home!" Mrs. Jenkins shot her a sneer and continued talking "Like I always tell my darling it always comes down to the genes!"

Runo's eyes widened once the words left the woman's mouth. Bella Black glared at her but the blunette ignored her and settled her eyes on the insufferable woman. Mrs. Jenkins didn't even bother to look back at her, but she did continue talking with her big mouth.

"It all comes down to the blood as I told you many years ago Bella." The blunette's eyes shifted to the woman quite surprised at the last part but Mrs. Jenkins only continued talking "From what I know this so called Tatsuo Misaki never took a job seriously. Honestly I'm sure he was the reason he and his wife died on a drunk car accident, mark my words!"

Everyone on the table looked uncomfortable as the woman kept on rambling words. Even Bella Black tried to change the topic at some point but Mrs. Jenkins ignored her. Runo was clenching her fist so tight it hurt and glared at the woman. In a split second the glass cup on the woman's hand exploded and tiny shards of glass went flying everywhere. Then all of the other cups at the table exploded at the same time, commotion settling on the adults at the table.

"Oh dear me!" Bella Black exclaimed shooting daggers at Runo "These cups are quite old indeed, let's get another ones!" She made motions for the blunette to go get a newer ones but she was quite furious to move from her spot.

"My father wasn't a drunk." She said in a low voice making all of them look back at her in surprise "And my parents didn't die on a car accident!" She was fed up with everything and shouted back at her. Black tried calling her out but she completely ignored her.

"You're an ungrateful little bitch!" Mrs. Jenkins stood up from her seat, her husband trying to held her back but failing, and approached Runo "You can't accept your parents were both failures! There's a reason you ended up on Bella's orphanage! You're just a burden!"

With that Runo felt a sharp pain across her right cheek and she tumbled down to the floor. The wine and cups she had on her tray crashed on the floor as well, staining the hem of the dress as the girl covered up her bruised cheek. Mrs. Jenkins stood tall and proud, looking down at her with a smug face. The girl felt her blood boil and she heard another glass vase crack in the distance.

" _Inflatus_ " A low and dark voice said from the distance. Runo turned her eyes to the other side of the room. At the entrance of the backyard there stood a very gaunt man. He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked quite skinny, the shaggy clothes he wore were too big for his body. He had dark blonde matted hair, an enraged look on his face and a wand on his right hand.

The blunette was about to speak up but a scream made her turn back. Right in front of her eyes Mrs. Jenkins fingers started inflating at an incredible speed. Her husband rushed to her side, trying to stop it but the jinx spread all throughout the woman's body making her inflate like a balloon. Runo perplexed just watched as the people around her started screaming in terror and panic, running around the dining hall.

The girl managed standing up to her feet looking over at the shady looking man once more. His grey eyes locked onto her. A chill went down her spine once they made eye contact. Something about the man was off. He didn't move from his spot but continued to stare at her. Runo felt as if she had seen him before, quite a long time ago. When she took a step forward the man muttered another jinx.

" _Relashio_ "

A soft clink was heard from above and Runo watched with wide eyes as a little trinket of the chandelier plopped to the floor. Instantly she saw the object falling down and the guests still screaming as Mrs. Jenkins flew away. A couple of orphans noticed the disaster and ran away to their dormitories while others were forced to stay and calm down the adults. In a flash she saw a little girl, no more than eight years old, tripping just before the chandelier would crash. Not knowing what to do the girl as if on instinct ran towards the girl. She managed to push herself and the girl away from the center, just as the chandelier came crashing down.

More screams filled the room, adults running to everywhere. Mrs. Jenkins was floating towards the backyard exit as her husband grabbed onto her stuffed foot. Bella Black ran after them, fury across her face.

"What just happened?" She muttered to herself. The little girl was sitting next to her, on the verge of tears as chaos ensured around them. Mrs. Jenkins tried to wriggle herself out of the exit but it only helped for her to start floating outside. She turned to look at the man in shaggy clothing. He had his wand drawn out and she could see that he was about to throw another spell. Quickly she took out her wand from the folds of her dress and pointed it straight at the man.

He noticed her actions but only laughed at her and disappeared right in front of her, before she could think of a proper spell to use on him. Bella Black turned back to the blunette, clear intention of giving her a punishment. The woman probably thought she was behind all of this at the moment.

Runo didn't waste another second, took hold of the girl's hand and ran out of the main hall and in the direction of her room. Many orphans were sticking their heads out from their rooms, wanting to know what was the ruckus about.

"Get inside!" The girl shouted at them and in a flash all of the doors closed. She was tugging the girl to ran faster but the little one was hiccupping way too much "Which one is your room?!" The little girl managed to point at one of the farthest rooms as both of them reached it. Runo quickly opened the door and ushered her inside, but the girl was still crying.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine" The blunette crouched to her level "Stay in your room and don't come out until the police come, alright?" The little girl hiccupped a bit more but still managed a faint nod. Runo smiled down at her and slowly closed the door behind her. With that she resumed her running towards her room.

Once she reached her dormitory, she swung the door open and quickly pushed her bed out of the way. All of her Hogwarts books, her gifts, Lumos' cage and broom were still there intact. Swiftly the girl stuffed everything she was going to need for her Third Year into her Hogwats trunk and shut it with a loud bang. She slung a harness around her broom and carried it on her bag as she attached her owl's cage to the trunk.

It felt like she was running away, even though she had nothing to do with the chandelier crashing or Mrs. Jenkins floating away. She thought about the crying girl and the other orphans stuck in the mess, and the guilt felt even heavier. But if she took blame to what happened in front of Bella, no punishment would come to them.

Running out of her room and into the staircase, she saw all of the orphans running towards their dormitories, clearly afraid of what was to come. The blunette quickly ushered all of them towards their rooms. She bid them off to bed and warned them to only open the door to the police. None of them questioned her and followed the rules. She looked back at the dormitories and thought of a spell that would help them.

If what Dan and Shun had told her about the ministry coming as fast as they could whenever a disturbance involving magic occurred on the muggle world was true, then she knew it was better to use a charm to fade out all of the disturbing noise until the ministry came. She wasn't sure about her Charms abilities and using ' _Obliviate_ ' on someone wasn't on her list.

" _Quietus!_ " She said and hoped that the ministry would first erase their memories from such a strange night. The girl surely thought she would get expelled from Hogwarts right there, but nothing appeared out of nowhere. The screams of the guests were still present and the girl could faintly make out the sirens of the police coming closer. Not wasting another second the girl rushed to the entrance of the orphanage, and saw once again the whole mess.

Adults were still screaming their heads off, some of them with deep cuts and glass shards around them; The chandelier in pieces from the impact; Tables thrown around along with it's chairs; Wine spilled all over the floor; Mr. Jenkins and his dog crying on the backyard as Mrs. Jenkins flew away. And in the mist of it all, there stood Bella Black. The woman had a sinister look on his eyes that would make anyone flinch away. Once her stare settled on the blunette, she couldn't help bursting out of the door.

"MISAKI!" Black roared with all of her fury and the girl ran into the front courtyard not wanting to look back. As quickly as she could Runo pushed the heavy gates of the orphanage with difficulty and managed pushing her things out of the gate. As she was running out of the building Black clasped her hand tightly around her wrist. Runo tried pushing her back, but the woman continued to tighten her grip on her.

"You're going to pay for this girl!" She started screaming "YOU WILL PAY!" The woman was pulling her past the gates once again as the blunette struggled to stay on her feet. Runo was shaking from head to toe as she tried pushing the woman off. The sirens of the police were coming closer and closer and if she didn't run away before they came, they wouldn't let her leave. Bella Black tightened her grip once more and the girl couldn't help a scream coming out of her lips.

" _Expulso!_ " A blue light appeared on Runo's line of vision and with it came an immense force making her slam into the pavement. Back throbbing the girl managed to look up and seeing the same shaggy man standing at the gate of the orphanage and Bella Black thrown at the entrance of the building. The blunette gulped down as she noticed the man looking back at her.

He didn't say anything to her and just stared. The girl pulled out her wand, trying to come up with a jinx just to cause a diversion so she could get away, but nothing came to mind. The man continued to stare and with steady hands he pushed her fallen trunk towards her, and stood silent. Runo frowned at this and picked up her Hogwarts trunk quickly, expecting some kind of jinx or curse, but finding nothing. She looked back and the man was still standing. The sound of the sirens snapped her out her thoughts. Patrols were parking nearby the building and police officers rushing out of their vehicles.

"Go" The man said in a raspy voice. With a loud crack the man had vanished into thin air, and Runo quickly stood up from the pavement, and ran towards the other side of the road. She heard a couple of more cracks and wizards appeared out of the thin air, rushing into the orphanage at once. They stopped the police officers from going inside with a jinx and walked into the Wools Orphanage. Runo bit on her lip, her grip tight on her Hogwarts trunk as she tucked away her wand in her pockets.

'What now?' Her mind asked back and forth as she saw a couple of more wizards coming into the scene. She thought of the words the man had said before and decided to follow his advice. The whole street was dimly lit and she couldn't make out most of the things around her, but she was completely sure about her decision. Without glancing back the girl continued running out of the known street in London, into the night.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! So we roll with the Third Year now! Sorry for the long wait for the chapter haha things have been pretty busy lately but I promise I'll try and give you longer chapters so the wait won't feel like forever. So yeah the counterpart of Sirius Black is called Soichiro Hoshi and he has a pretty different back story to Sirius, so I'll advice you to now get too hung up on the similarities between the two haha it'll be explained further on in the chapters.**

 **For the Third Year so far I have another two chapters and I'm typing out the fourth one. If I'm not wrong it'll be of the same length as with the Second Year if not a little bit bigger, so hope you don't mind haha I'll try to update this story along with the other ones as soon as I can. So far the Third Year has some changes to the HP book that I hope you all will like.**

 **The next update might be in a long time, so sorry about that! But I'll try to update as soon as I can! Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for all of the support so far and like always if you have any comment or question you can write a review or PM me! Have a great week!**


	19. Third Year: The Leaky Cauldron

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **· The Leaky Cauldron**

Runo deduced that she really needed to get back in shape. Her breathing was ragged and her legs were aching. But she had to keep on running. She was still dragging her Hogwarts trunk and her broom strapped to her back, but she knew she couldn't afford to stop. The girl wasn't sure how long was she running, but the streets that surrounded the Wools Orphanage were long gone and she was at a complete loss as to where she was. She thought of using her wand to call for someone, but how could she alert her friends about something like this with her wand? And sending a letter was out of the question.

The tight shoes she was wearing were long gone at one side of the road. They were already hurting past a breaking point and Runo figured it would be best to run barefoot than to keep holding on to them. Her maid dress wasn't cooperating either. If it was hard walking on it, running was hell. It would show too much of her legs and the straps holding it were really starting to hurt her stomach.

Everywhere she ran was a new direction, but she decided to keep on going. She ignored the aching of her legs and even though about flying on her broom, but how would she explain that to the authorities? She had already used a spell while being under-age; it would only cause more trouble to Professor Wyvern, the Headmistress of Hogwarts.

"I've really done it now" She muttered to herself. She was sure now, she would get expelled from her home. Sure, last year she had helped uncovering the Chamber of Secrets and the beast attacking the students at the school, but that didn't mean the rules didn't apply to her. She mentally cursed to herself until her eyes landed on something ahead of the road. As she was running she passed a dim lit alley and came to a sudden halt as she saw the same pair of grey eyes she had seen hours before.

Runo wasn't sure if it was the fatigue catching up to her or it was really happening, but it seemed like a dark shadow was looming over the grey eyes. It was similar to a big black wolf about to pounce on its prey. The girl gulped and took a step back as the beast took one forward. The creature was looking straight at her and she could feel her heart hammering on her chest.

She took out her wand from her dress in a fluid motion just as the wolf let out a deep growl. Her mind was in a blank state. She watched with wide eyes as the wolf took a couple hurried steps towards her. Runo inhaled sharply, as she stumbled on the pavement, landing square on her butt. Quickly she raised her wand in front of her, and just shook it, hoping to at least scare him off. But the beast was long gone. She quickly looked around her but the animal had vanished.

Out of nowhere two bright lights were illuminating her face, and almost making her go blind. Runo blinked rapidly and noticed a triple-decker purple AEC Regent III RT parked right in front of her face. She rose to her feet, taking her belongings with her and moved towards the door of the transportation. The door was wide open and a boy with dark turquoise hair and grey hues stood next to it, a lit cigarette on his lips. He was wearing a dark purple bellboy uniform, but it was quite dusty and worn out.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, eh emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard." He wasn't even looking up from the paper in his hands "Eh what else? We can take you wherever you want to go. My name is Linus Claude and I'll be your conductor today…yeah I think that's it" The boy finally looked up to her, bored and dull eyes looking right at her "So are you coming or what?"

"Ah yes!" Runo hastily grabbed her things and looked both ways of the street. She hoped the wolf was long gone by now "This bus goes anywhere right?"

"That's right" The man took hold of her things and placed them inside of the bus "You're the last wizard on our list, I need name and direction please"

"Right" The blunette thought of where she could go for now. Dan was not in town and she didn't want to disturb him and she didn't know where her other friends lived. And she wasn't sure about giving out her name as well. She had just casted a spell being underage back at the orphanage "Um I'm Fabia Sheen and I'm heading to Diagon Alley"

"It'll be 11 Sickles or 13 Sickles if you want to include hot-chocolate" Runo quickly rummaged inside of her pockets and placed the money on the man's hand. He gave her quite the frightening smile and moved aside "Then hop on in Fabia"

With one last look at the street, the blunette walked inside of the bus and was surprised at the insides of it. There were no seats inside. Instead they were replaced with beds at each window of the bus. A small chandelier hung at the center of it that lit up the bus. Some people were lying on the beds and Runo sat in the nearest one of them. Linus Claude placed her luggage next to her and tapped on the glass window.

"Take it away!" A BANG was heard as the bus was brought to life. In a second the girl was pulled back by the great amount of speed at which the bus moved. Linus didn't even seemed to mind it as he leaned back on the walls of the bus and continued to read his newspaper.

Runo looked through the window, noticing the hundreds of cars and buildings that were passing by of London. Muggles didn't even bat an eye at the purple bus moving at an incredible speed. The bus wouldn't stop for anyone and would move through such tight spaces that the girl thought they would crash at any second.

"You look surprised Fabia" Linus spoke as he continued to read "You been living under a rock or what? Muggles can't see the bus obviously. If they did then we wouldn't work properly" He didn't even look up and Runo was about to snap at him for using such an arrogant tone but once she noticed the front page of his newspaper she stopped. It was the Daily Prophet and there was a big picture displayed. It was the man she had encountered earlier that evening, but a look of desperation was on his eyes as he screamed into the photo.

"Wait, who's that man?" She voiced out her question.

"Who? Soichiro Hoshi?" Linus folded back the paper to show her the front page "Only the most wanted man in Britain now" He handed her the paper over as she stared at the page in front of her "You really don't know who he is? Read the article then" Linus chuckled as he went to help a woman going off the bus. Runo frowned and started to read the article regarding the man.

 **HOSHI SIGHTED AT THE MUGGLE WORLD**

 _Soichiro Hoshi, the most known prisoner to be at Azkaban, has been sighted at a Muggle orphanage just a few hours ago, confirms the Ministry of Magic._

 _Around a hundred of Obliviate charms had to be placed in the minds of the Muggles inside the building, as they claim to see a chandelier falling from the ceiling and a woman floating off. Everyone was retrieved safely and without hesitation. But Hoshi was long gone once the Ministry appeared._

 _"We are doing all we can to capture him once more" claims William Etienne, Minister of Magic. Etienne has been severely criticized by the International Federation of Warlocks after he informed the Muggle Prime minister of Hoshi's disappearance._

 _While Muggles know that Soichiro Hoshi is a wanted criminal, the magical community lives in fear of repeating the same massacre of twelve years ago._

Runo turned to the photo of the man once more. The man who had helped her tonight was actually no other than the murderer Soichiro Hoshi? For a brief second she really doubted that he was the one behind the killing. Maybe it was her clouded judgment speaking, but the man had stepped in for her. Sure, he had wrecked most of the building and he had injured the people inside, but if he was really as bad as the Daily Prophet painted him to be, he wouldn't have stepped so far as to help her.

"Don't tell me you didn't know about Soichiro Hoshi? Where have you been all this time?" Linus came back and tapped the window again as the bus took full speed once again.

"I heard someone talking about him" Runo held on to the railing of her bed as the bus continued to jerk from one way to another "Something about that he killed thirteen people some years back" She recalled Mrs. Miranda telling Bella Black about the incident.

"Boy did he" Linus Claude looked around for a moment, to see if anyone else was listening or awake before he continued "He murdered thirteen Muggles with only one curse in broad daylight. It caused a ton of problems for the Ministry of Magic and his family as well" Runo's eyes widened.

"With a _single_ curse?" She almost shouted at Linus only brought a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quieter.

"Yeah, it caused an uproar in both the magical and muggle community" He nodded "He was a big follower of You-Know-Who back in the day"

"He was a follower of Naga?" Runo said without thinking. The bus suddenly jerked to the right almost making her fall off the bed. Even Linus was almost thrown to the floor, but he had an agitated look on his eyes as he saw her.

"Are you mad?! Spitting out his name like it's nothing! Didn't your parents tell you anything?" He was quite shaken up as he straightened up and the bus took its normal course once again. Runo quietly apologized, a deeper frown on her face, as she sat once again in the bed.

"Okay so he followed You-Know-Who"

"That's much better" He muttered quietly, "Teens these days, not fearing anything. Well back to the point, yes Soichiro Hoshi was a close member of You-Know-Who's group. Some believe he was his right hand" Then he frowned as if deep on thought "After the whole fallout of You-Know-Who with Runo Misaki happened, he went mad"

Runo sat very rigid once her name was mentioned but dared not to utter a single word until Linus finished. She gulped and continued listening to him. Thankfully the man hadn't even noticed her strange behavior at the moment.

"Word has it that Hoshi was cornered at a street in London by a family member of the Misaki's and after seeing he had no escape he figured he would try to 'avenge' his master somehow. He casted the curse and just like that thirteen Muggles died" The girl bit on her lip, that changed the whole perspective of the man who had just helped her "Some say he started laughing on the spot"

"So he was mad even before Azkaban?" Runo asked quietly.

"If he wasn't mad before, I bet he is now" Linus said with a stern voice "A though cookie he is. The first breakout from Azkaban, I'm sure its guards won't be happy after this"

"Is it that bad? I mean Azkaban?" The blunette frowned completely at loss regarding one of the scariest prisons to date. Dan had told her very little about Azkaban before, but he did remark that according to his father, it was a truly frightening place to be.

"It's worse than bad" The boy looked over at her as if she had grown two heads "Really haven't your parents teach you anything Fabia? This is basic knowledge around here. Don't tell me you don't know who is Runo Misaki?"

"No but you apparently don't know who she is" Runo muttered quietly to herself as the bus came to a stop. She looked over to the window and saw the familiar sign of the Leaky Cauldron. She stood up just as Linus carried over her luggage to the pavement. With heavy steps, the girl climbed off the Knight Bus, just to be greeted by the Minister of Magic, William Etienne at the front door of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Oh there you are Runo! We've been looking everywhere for you!" The Minister said in a concerned voice as he walked up to her. Runo felt her stomach drop as the man clasped a hand on her shoulder and steered her inside the Leaky Cauldron.

"Thank you!" She called out to Linus as he handed her luggage to the innkeeper of the Leaky Cauldron with a nervous smile. She entered the known pub and without question both her and the minister entered one of the secluded offices of the building. The office was dim lit, the only light source from the fireplace. Two green couches sat opposite of each other and a little coffee table between the two. William Etienne motioned for Runo to sit down by the fire as he grabbed and placed on the table a plate full of sweets and a cup of tea.

"As we haven't met yet, let me introduce myself. I am William Etienne, Runo, The Minister of Magic" He poured two cups of tea for the both of them as he shoved the cup into Runo's hands. She already knew who he was. Dan had told her about him and she had an unpleasant impression of him at Opal Wyvern's office. His cane was shaking furiously on his hands as he took a shaky sip of his tea.

"You had us worried sick child! Running away from your orphanage after it was attacked! Goodness! We started to think the worse, but what matters is that you're safe…" He said eyes gleaming as he pushed the food plate towards her. Runo only opted for drinking her tea and trying to find something to say in her defense.

"And about your care-taker, Bella Black, she indeed was angry at the situation, but she's willing to take you under her wing in summer! Don't worry about it!" The Minister said as if wasn't an inconvenience at all. Runo was about to add that she would opt to stay at the Leaky Cauldron the rest of her teenage years but the man continued to speak "As for their memories recalling the event, fear not the only remembering is Bella Black, and no one was harmed in the process" As if that thought was going to bring her any sort of peace.

"Then what about my punishment?" Runo blurted out, making William Etienne enter a fit of coughing. He managed to compose himself, eyes widened as he looked straight at her as if she had grown two heads.

"Punishment? Are you talking about The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry? Blimey! You only casted a Quietus charm! We aren't going to send you to Azkaban for that!" The man tried to laugh it off, but he indeed looked quite nervous, his thick moustache moving from one side to the other.

"But I broke the law" Runo clenched her fists at her sides but the Minister still brushed her off.

"Nonsense Runo! You were looking out for your other housemates! Now-" The man stood up and went to the door "-I'm going to check out a room for you here in the Leaky Cauldron so you can remain here the rest of the summer vacation" And with that the Minister was out of the room.

Runo frowned at the closed door and sipped on her tea once more. Surely the Minister of Magic himself didn't go out of his way just to tell her about the aftermath back at the orphanage. Grabbing a glazed cookie she stuffed it into her mouth and let out a pleasant sigh as she continued to drink her tea. Maybe the reason why William Etienne was over at the Leaky Cauldron involved Soichiro Hoshi in some way?

"Okay Runo! I have booked you a room for the rest of the summer vacation" William Etienne entered the room once more as a tall man stood beside him "He will guide you to your room and if you need anything else, go to him"

She took another cookie and was about to follow the man out of the room, but the minister stopped her from doing so. He looked more nervous than before as he fumbled with his words.

"Runo just give your word that you won't go to the Muggle London, just stick to the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley." He said furiously wiping droplets of sweat from his forehead with a small wipe. She only frowned at the statement, then it did mean that something was wrong after all.

"Um sure, I wasn't thinking of going back anyway" She responded, quite uncomfortable but still showing a smile. William Etienne breathed in relief and his came stopped shaking all together. He moved away as the tall man exited the room and motioned for her to follow after him.

"Very well then Runo! Hope you have a wonderful stay here! I must return to the Ministry of Magic at once" He waved goodbye at her and disappeared with a loud 'CRACK'. Runo only blinked as she followed the tall man out of the room.

He was quite skinny on the outside, his cheeks flat and a mop of dark brown hair that covered most of his eyes. The man continued to walk in front of her, passing hallways as she looked around. The Leaky Cauldron was the same since she remembered. Back before she even attended Hogwarts, this was the very first place Professor Tigrerra took her, after Diagon Alley.

Her mind kept wandering back to the minister of magic along with the famous Soichiro Hoshi. Surely the reason she wasn't given permission to go back to muggle London was connected to the sighting of Hoshi back at the orphanage. But the pieces of information still didn't click in her mind. Soichiro was a follower of Naga. That fact alone would get her killed, but he helped her in a second.

"Here are your keys" The man interrupted her from her thoughts as he shoved a pair of keys into her hands "If you need anything else, feel free to call me" He was about to leave but turned to her once more "Your pet has been waiting for you quite some time, though I already fed her." And with that he left her in front of a wooden door.

Runo wondered about his words but opened the door to her room. The first thing she saw was a flutter of white wings as the animal perched up on her shoulder and started nuzzling her hair in an affectionate manner.

"Lumos! I'm so glad you're fine!" She exclaimed happily as she started to gently stroke her beak. Her luggage was already inside the room as well as her owl's cage. The room was quite simple, a bed at the corner of the room, a desk in front of it, a small wooden coffee table at the center of the room, along with a red wine rug, and a window that had quite the view outside. She moved towards the window as she swung it open. The sun was barely visible and illuminated the streets of London. A few people were walking at the sidewalks and Runo never felt more peaceful. She had been running for most of the night and it was already dawn.

"We should get some rest" Sleep was prying on her eyes and she felt like sleeping right on the floor. Lumos flew towards the perch of the bed as she prepared to doze off. Runo followed after her pet. She didn't bother to change her waitress dress and plopped on the soft mattress. She fell asleep once her head touched the pillows.

* * *

Runo didn't know what to do with all of her free time at the Leaky Cauldron. Back at Wool's Orphanage she had chores to do all day round and without breaks. But now she could do the things she wanted at the time she wanted.

A week had already passed since she crashed at the pub, and so far she had finished all of her homework for Hogwarts. She spent most of her days sleeping late or visiting the shops at the Diagon Alley. The first thing she did was to take out money from her Gringotts vault, enough for her to buy the new school supplies and afford her stay at the Leaky Cauldron. She had already bought all of the new books for school, and to her relief the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts was going to be taught by Professor Drago once again.

But much to her dismay her electives required more books than usual. Studies of Ancient Runes had a total of two dictionaries and a book heavier than Lumos. While Divination only required two books, but she only felt displeasure at the thought of taking such class. She was more interested in taking the subject of Arithmacy but Dan bribed her into taking the class with him and Julie for the year.

She grumbled once again as she remembered but continued to eat her ice cream in peace as she watched the people pass by. Runo was currently enjoying her afternoon at Florean Ice Cream Parlor as she stared at the people walking in Diagon Alley. She was too engrossed in her vanilla ice cream to notice the gathering crowd at the shop of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Hearing the commotion she looked up and saw a sign being posted at the front window, announcing a brand new broom. She frowned quickly finishing her ice cream as she walked over to join the crowd.

Through the window Runo was able to see a brand new podium and the most magnificent broom she had ever laid eyes upon. People around her chattered excitedly about it, most of them mentioning the Quidditch World Cup occurring next year, but she could only look at it. A beautiful polished ebony handle and carefully place twigs of hazel completed the new broom called 'Firebolt'. Runo bit her lip in excitement until she read the sign next to it.

 **PRICE ON REQUEST**

She puffed out. She was seriously tempted to buy it, but she could spend a great amount of money on it and she still needed to buy new robes and keep paying the Leaky Cauldron for her food, as well as managing her expenses for the next years at Hogwarts. Runo gave the broom one last wishful look but parted ways from the crowd and headed towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Runo entered the purple establishment and an audible ding was heard throughout the store. It was pretty much empty so she was able to walk freely inside. The shop was full of mannequins with either Hogwarts school robes or very high fashionable witch and wizard robes. A strange aroma surrounded the whole room as Runo approached a small podium at the back of the store.

"You have grown quite taller Miss Runo!" Madam Malkin cheered excitedly as she finally appeared from behind one of the mannequins. She was still a very short and robust woman with a very fashionable and sparkly mauve robes. The woman pushed up her glasses and flashed Runo a sweet smile as she motioned for her to step forward "Now let's get your new robes"

She took out her wand and quickly started tapping all of her body, and a metric ruler would appear and disappear, taking her measurements. Madam Malkin continued to scribble on a notepad and watched her up and down, as if inspecting for something else.

"Oh yes you have definitely grown Miss Runo" Madam Malkin once again giggled as she went over to the counter and a shop bag floated towards her, along with the new set of robes "You're growing up to be a fine young woman!"

"Um thank you? I guess…" Runo mumbled the last part quite embarrassed at the interaction. The owner only laughed more as she handed her the bag with her new set of robes. She quickly gave her the money on turn for her new uniform. Just as she was putting away her small pouch of money in her pockets a flash of black and grey caught her eye. At the far end of the shop there was the same wolf she had seen back at the orphanage and before climbing up the Knight Bus. Her breathing stopped and eyes widened.

"Oh don't worry about the wolf" The woman said with a cheery voice "It's just a statue a friend of mine gave me a long time ago" Madam Malkin moved towards it and petted the animal's head, but it didn't move at all. Then she gave it a slight tap and it still didn't move or even blinked.

"See? Nothing to worry about" She said as she moved back towards the counter "Though I wouldn't recommend you having one of these things with you, they say black wolves are often bad omens" Runo gulped and gave the statue one last look before bidding farewell to Madam Malkin and exiting the shop. If seeing black wolves was considered as a bad omen at the wizarding world she was sure that she was way past cursed after seeing one two times.

Runo brushed off her long ponytail at her back and continued to think about the black wolf as she walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, since it was already past seven o'clock. People were still hovering outside to look at the Firebolt, and Runo peeked once more to marvel at the beauty of the broom. The streetlights started to light up Diagon Alley and with that she hurried towards the pub. She expected to open the back door and find the usual quiet place, with a few people at the tables like the past week. But once she entered the Leaky Cauldron, it was full of laughter and drinking people.

"Runo! RUNO!" The calling of her name made her snap out of her train of thought. At one of the tables she could see Dan along with Shun waving back at her. The brunette obviously more enthusiastic than the raven haired boy. She quickly walked up to join them, a bright smile over her lips.

"Finally we found you! We were looking for you at Diagon Alley all day!" Dan grinned wildly once she took the seat beside him "Oh have you seen the Firebolt already?! I have to get my hands on one of those"

"Too bad you spent all of your money on Japanese candy" Shun commented dryly, as Runo chuckled at the statement. Dan sent him the usual glare but he then turned to Runo, a bit more serious than before "We heard about the incident at an orphanage. Mr. Kuso informed us that it was the one you're staying at, are you okay?"

"Yeah just a little shaken up I suppose." She answered, a chuckle following after it "I'm surprised they are letting me stay over for the next summer"

"The incident's been all over the Daily Prophet!" Dan whispered among them "You should've seen the pile of letters Dad received from the Ministry, even though he's not working there anymore. And Soichiro Hoshi has been on everyone's mouths ever since, not that the fact that he escaped from Azkaban is not important."

"Did you even see him Runo?" Shun asked. Runo bit on her lip, she didn't know if it was safe to tell them that she had actually seen him at the incident, nor that he had defended her from Bella Black. They would probably have the same image of him as the rest of the wizarding world.

"Not really" She easily lied, drifting her eyes to some other place "I was serving some people and during a commotion I couldn't see really well-" She scratched on her scar, really debating if she was doing the right thing by not telling them the truth about the incident "-The chandelier fell down and everything was pretty hectic after that."

"Dad said the minister was a complete mess once he heard that Soichiro Hoshi had been at your orphanage in particular" Dan added, a small frown settling over his face "But when they went looking for you, you weren't there. Did you run away?"

"Something like that" Both Dan and Shun exchanged panicked looks but turned to her once more "I mean- ah, well how do I put this?" Runo felt a bit trapped with the questions. She couldn't tell them the real reason for running away and she had already lied about not seeing Hoshi at the orphanage.

"Ah Runo!" The voice of Mr. Kuso broke out the tension Runo felt around herself. She turned around to see Dan's parents making their way towards her, along with Kenta and Kenji Kuso and a woman that seemed to be their mother.

"We're so glad you're safe!" Mrs. Kuso instantly wrapped her up in a warm hug and playfully tugged on her right cheek "Don't you ever run off like that again! You had us worried sick! Next time wait for the Aurors to come get you!" Runo rubbed on her cheek and smiled at her.

"I'll try to" She smiled at her and gave her another hug.

"Well she's now okay Miyuki! That's what matters dear, and we'll be staying with you until your departure to Hogwarts in three days" Mr. Shinjiro smiled, but she felt as if something was bothering him. He looked quite paler and tired than the last time she had seen him. Maybe being a new Hogwarts teacher was taking its toll on him?

"How's the wizarding world sensation Runo Misaki?" Kenta Kuso pulled her back from her chair, almost making her fall down to the floor. Kenji then popped out of nowhere and exploded a small firecracker right in front of her, before Kenta pushed her back to her seat.

"Seriously you should stop doing that!" The woman that was next to them pulled both of their ears. From what she remembered she was the same woman from the photo at Japan "Just what I'm going to do with you two? Behave like normal children" She had a stern look on her face, but quite the amusement filled her eyes.

"Ah Runo, let me introduce you" Mr. Shinjiro stood beside her as the purple haired woman kept on pulling on the twin's ears "This is my older sister, Risa Kuso and as you can see Kenji and Kenta's mother. She's an Auror at the Ministry of Magic, one of the best." The twins loudly protested against their mother as she forcefully tugged them one last time before walking up to Runo.

"Nice to meet you sweetie! Aren't you the cutest little thing?" Risa Kuso started playing with both of her cheeks and Runo could only try to remove herself from her grip "Oh sorry, old habit of mine!" She let go of her and smiled brightly. Rubbing her cheeks, Runo noticed that Risa looked quite young for her age "I hope my sons haven't troubled you too much back at school"

"Oh mom, please! As if we could ever do such a thing!" Kenji sighed dramatically along with his brother. Risa shot them another glare that made both of them straighten up in their seats.

"They've told me all kinds of stories about you" Risa chatted happily "Mostly about Quidditch though, but also something along the lines that you're some kind of snake whisperer?" Runo shot them a look as well, and the twins just shrugged at her.

"I think they've mistaken me for someone else" She said awkwardly "So you're Mr. Kuso's sister?" Runo was trying to wrap her mind around it. This woman was different from what Dan's father usually is. She had the aura of being a stern mother but at the same time the air of the twins' mischief.

"Yep Shinjiro is my little brother all right" Risa proudly smiled but then a devious smile appeared on her face "Well he is a crybaby after all but what can you do about it?" Runo bit back a smile as Mr. Kuso shouted after her an embarrassed look all over his face.

"If I remember correctly you had cried during my Hogwarts graduation or do you not remember?" Dan's father said with a bit of a twitch in his eye. His sister instantly went over to him, clearly taking up his challenge.

"Oh I'm sorry who was the one who cried over his child touching a _broom_?"

"At least I didn't cry when a Niffler appeared on her kitchen!"

"They are definitely related" Dan intervened as they both watched the scene of both Risa and Shinjiro teasing each other "And Aunt Risa is the mother of those two. She might not look like it, but she's the master of pranks. She has even managed to prank both Kenta and Kenji at the _same time_ "

"She does look like it after all" Runo chuckled "Has she ever pranked you before?"

"Oh yes Dan, has she ever pranked you before?" Shun repeated with a smug smile, shooting an amused look at his best friend. The brunette flushed immediately, ignoring the question all together. Then she heard him mumble something under his breath.

"Sorry what was that?" She asked, a small smile already breaking through her lips as Dan mumbled once more "Could you repeat it?"

"She stuffed my pillow with spiders!" He yelled back at her, his cheeks flaring up seconds after. Runo couldn't help it but she burst out laughing and even Shun was chuckling "It's not funny! You know how much I hate those things!" But she couldn't help herself as she doubled over and continued to laugh at him. Eventually her laughs died down as she looked at Dan once more.

"So that's why you're afraid of spiders?" She had a teasing grin.

"Shut up" Dan shoved her, looking away immediately. The evening continued like that, either Dan would tease or she would keep taunting him while Shun commented every once in a while just to make the matter more laughable. Kenta and Kenji soon joined them and everyone found themselves overwhelmed by so much laughter.

Eventually the people died out on the Leaky Cauldron, and the only ones still present were their bunch. Even the bartender had fallen asleep waiting for them to leave to their rooms. Runo found herself yawning after some time but she was way too joyful to even think about sleeping.

"Okay guys, I think it's time to call it a night" Mr. Kuso patted Dan on the back "We still have to finish buying your books and robes for the school year." And with that they all headed towards their respective rooms. Risa and the twins were staying in one bigger bedroom, big enough for the three, while Shun and Dan were staying together in another room.

Runo bid them goodnight as she went ahead towards her respective room, until she noticed a couple missing. She frowned and looked down the hall for both Mr. and Mrs. Kuso, but they still hadn't come up yet. Just when she was about to call them out, she managed hearing them speaking in hushed tones as they climbed up the stairs to their room. Runo bit on her lip but hid behind one of the wall's columns just as they were passing by.

"When are you talking with her Shinjiro? We need to tell her before it's too late!" Miyuki desperately whispered to him "I'm pretty sure she already saw him back at the orphanage and she deserves to know about it!"

"I know" Mr. Kuso said in a low and tired tone of voice "I know she needs to know, but I still haven't found the right words to say to her. To think that he would escape Azkaban…" Ah, so they were talking about something concerning Soichiro Hoshi. She heard Mr. Kuso draw out a long sigh before speaking "It's like all of this is coming back to haunt me."

"Don't say that" Mrs. Kuso had a softer tone of voice now "We would eventually talk to her about this, there's no denying that. But you know how all three of them are Runo, Dan and Shun are always wandering off doing who knows what" She could hear her voice cracking slightly "I would prefer not telling her, just look how _happy_ she is"

"But what else can we do?" Mr. Kuso said in a strained voice and then let out a strained sigh "I still have hope Hoshi isn't after her, I thought after all this time he would've let go. But after the incident back at the orphanage? It is only proof that he is still looking for her. I would've never forgive myself if something happened to her"

"But nothing happened dear" Runo peeked out from her hiding spot to look at them stopping right in front of their respective bedroom. Mr. Kuso had such a sorrowful look on his face that made her feel worse. Mrs. Kuso was rubbing his back as she spoke "Thankfully the Knight Bus took her in and she was taken to the Leaky Cauldron right away. But I insist Shinjiro she has the right to know. She is one your best friends' daughter. I'll be with you every step of the way"

"Thank you" Mr. Kuso rubbed at his eyes and enveloped his wife in a tight embrace "It's getting late, we should go to bed" With that Mr. and Mrs. Kuso entered their room and closed the door.

Runo quickly headed towards her own room, her mind flooding with questions. She already suspected that Soichiro Hoshi was after her. The thing was that she didn't think it would cause this much mayhem. Did that mean that Hoshi had been after her after such a long time? But would that news bring so much sorrow to Mr. Kuso? She decided it was no use debating over it and plopped right onto her bed, hoping to get some sleep after hearing such conversation.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I thought I would take a lot more time to update the story but I guess I was almost on time but oh well that's life haha so in general of the chapter I liked it but I can't wait to write the dark parts of the story haha I'm guess I really like typing them in some way? Anyhow now you can confirm that yes indeed Dan is freaking afraid of spiders and is in love with Japanese candy and all of that is thanks to his aunt hahaha Risa Kuso kinda reminds me of Tonks in some way (that's how I see her so far, or maybe I'll write another counterpart for Tonks) but as you can see they do not share the same story that's for sure.**

 **So yeah to those debating if Runo was going to tell her friends that in fact Hoshi helped her in some way, well she doesn't (for the time) and believe me that's going to be a hell of a problem later on, along with some other stuff that's included as well hahaha I suppose I could say that Runo is going to end up pretty confused with the whole situation and what she has witnessed, we'll see.**

 **Anyways the next update for this story will probably be at the start of January of the next year ahahaha but I'll try to make the wait shorter (though I don't make any promises). I'm currently typing the next chapter of "** Mutant Battle Brawlers **" and yeah I don't think I'll manage writing another one at the same time. Though I'll update "** WFAU **" somewhere before Christmas and of course New Years so stick around for that one haha Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!**

* * *

 **EXTRA. (Since you asked so nicely haha)**

 **Lily02.** (I'll try to answer all of your doubts, questions, comments on one go so bear with me haha) Wow okay I'm supper happy you're enjoying the story so far and damn did you read it fast haha I'm impressed. Runo definitely has more potential than what I give her, because like what you said (and form what I vaguely remember from watching the series) she is usually the top when it comes to strategies and her character is one that still has more to it than from what I write. In conclusion haha I'll keep trying to bring out the best out of her character along with the rest of the cast (wish me luck!)

You have no idea how much I want to write both the Fourth and the Sixth Year already because damn I'm so excited for those two in words that I can't even put in sentences hahaha the whole situation with romance in the Sixth Year will give me a heart attack (most probably) but for what I've come up with so far I think it's going to be good haha for all the pairs in general (and yes that includes Billy and Julie, but the thing with them will have a more angsty turn than in the other ones, thanks to situations I won't spoil just yet)

As for Dan and Runo what I can say so far now is that the boy has a crush on her (though it's not that obvious because they're thirteen years old people come on) but the poor oblivious Runo won't think much of it until later in the series. So if you have any doubts, Runo will basically have kind of the same path of romance as Harry.

And the last and not least, I can't make any promises on whom I will or won't kill in the series (you'll probably hate me in the end, sorry)

HOPE YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER


	20. Third Year: The Dementor

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **· The Dementor**

The whistling of the Hogwarts Express was ringing in her ears, along with the excited cheers from the students boarding the train. September 1st had already rolled around and she couldn't be more grateful for it. Though quite a lot of people had been sending her weird looks, she shrugged them off as she went to bid goodbye to Mrs. Kuso. Since Mr. Kuso was going to be giving classes back at Hogwarts, she was sure to see him at the castle from time to time.

Miyuki Kuso was still hugging Dan, a few tears spilling from her eyes just as the brunette tried to get out of his mother's grip. Shun was watching with amused eyes until Mrs. Kuso pulled him for a hug as well. Mr. Kuso had an awkward smile but patted both of the teen's head with affection.

"How long has this been going on?" Runo asked to the Kuso twins. Both of them shrugged at the same time.

"Who knows, I've stopped counting past the five minutes" Kenji started snickering to himself "Mom just said a simple goodbye and left without anything to say" He admitted, with still a mocking smile.

"She tired to steal the firecrackers" Kenta announced, the same devilish smile that Kenji was wearing "But we're better than that"

"You two are going to be in so much trouble." Runo muttered as Mrs. Kuso called out to her. She approached the woman, as she instantly was embraced. Runo only laughed, already kind of used to the charming nature of Mrs. Kuso. She hugged her back and pulled away when she heard another whistling from the train.

"Please just be careful Runo" Miyuki was wiping tears from her eyes "Don't go looking for trouble and don't sneak out from the castle" The blunette gave her a confused look but Mrs. Kuso looked as serious as ever "Just promise me"

"Miyuki is just worried about your well being Runo" Mr. Kuso added, as he placed a hand on her shoulder "Just promise us you'll stay away from danger"

"Sure. I won't sneak out of the castle and I won't be looking for trouble" Runo agreed, still confused by the request. The couple looked back at each other, clear signs of worry in each of their faces. Shinjiro sighed and gave his wife a firm nod, before looking back at her.

"Come with me for a bit Runo, there's something I want to talk about with you" He said with such a serious expression that she only managed to nod back at him. Mr. Kuso took her to a more secluded area behind a column.

"Okay, okay, okay" Mr. Kuso started pacing from one side to another now clear nervousness showing on his face "Runo believe me when I say this, and me and Miyuki we're doing it with the best intentions-"

"Mr. Kuso I already know" She interrupted him, leaving him with a bewildered expression "Um I heard you and Mrs. Kuso talking last night, sorry. But I already know that Soichiro Hoshi is after me"

"Look Runo I'm not upset you heard me and Miyuki. But…" He had a really troubled look on his face, as if he was hiding something else from her "Look..." He came closer to her a worried look on his eyes "Just promise Runo, promise me…you won't go looking for Hoshi"

Her eye's widened for a moment. Why would she go look for someone who clearly wants to kill her? She kept on staring at Mr. Kuso for a moment to see if it was some sort of mistake or joke, but his expression remained serious. Soichiro Hoshi was a follower of Naga of that she was certain, but he was also a man who stopped Bella Black from hitting her any further. Doubts or not Runo decided that she could at least keep her word to Mr. Kuso.

"Just please, no matter what you hear or what you see" He gulped "Please promise me you won't go after Hoshi"

Her response was interrupted as another whistle came from the train. Mrs. Kuso gave her son one last hug as they all quickly jumped into the Hogwarts Express. Mr. Kuso gave his wife a quick peck on the lips as he entered the express after them. Since he was a new professor, he was going to have to ride the Hogwarts Express along with them and attend the Start-of-Term Feast.

Mrs. Kuso waved them all goodbye as the doors closed in front of her and the train started to move away from King's Cross Station. They all waved back until the station couldn't be seen and the scenery was filled with green and vast mountains.

"Let's go look for a compartment." Dan muttered as he furiously rubbed his eyes. Shun gave him a pat on the back and both of the twins ruffled his hair, leaving it messier than before. Runo laughed a bit as she patted his cheek in a teasing manner.

"You go on ahead kids, I have to speak to the conductor first." Mr. Kuso announce as he made his way towards the control cabin. Kenta and Keiji Kuso also bid them a goodbye as they went to look for the rest of their friends. Runo looked around hoping to see Julie, Alice or Marucho but failing to do so.

"Let's go this way." Shun said as they went behind him. Thankfully their friends weren't hard to find. The three of them were already seated inside a compartment and once they entered their faces broke off into huge smiles. Marucho and Julie had been eating sweets and chatting, while Alice was immersed in another book.

"Finally you came!" Julie exclaimed excitedly as she quickly hugged all of them, and specifically pulled Dan towards her seat "I've missed you so much Danny! My summer has been super boring without you!" Runo tried not to make a face as she moved inside the compartment and sat besides Alice. The redhead gave her an apologetic smile but she only rolled her eyes.

She now could see how much the two of them had changed over the summer. Julie's face looked even sharper and more detailed, maybe with a little make up on, and she looked even prettier than last year. Her hair was now pulled in a high ponytail and her silver hair seemed even more lustrous than before.

"You know how she is, just ignore her" Alice whispered back to her as she closed her book and began chatting away with her and Shun. The Ravenclaw had also changed over the summer. Runo noticed how her hair now reached her waist, all of it braided, which gave her a prettier look. Alice even looked like she had grown taller than her. Marucho on the other hand looked the same as ever. His blonde hair was still in that weird hairstyle and his height was left the same.

They spent more of their time talking and catching up to their respective summers and activities they had done. Alice had visited Russia with her grandfather to visit her aunt and uncle, while managing to finish reading the books for this year. Julie on the other hand had stayed in her home catching up with her sister, Daisy Makimoto, and visiting Italy for her birthday.

"Dan how was your trip to Japan? Did you visit the wizarding school of Mahoutokoro?" Marucho excitedly asked him, his blue eyes basically shinning with curiosity. The blonde boy didn't go back to America and instead opted to explore both Scotland and Ireland, hoping to find some magical creatures and different wizards.

"They didn't give us permission to enter since the school is atop of a volcanic island in Japan, but we did see it from afar. It's super huge!" He chuckled a bit "Shun was really depressed we didn't see it though. "

"If I remember correctly you whined all the way back to Tokyo exclaiming you wouldn't be able to experience Japanese Quidditch" Shun noted smoothly. Dan's face fired up in embarrassment. Just before he could shot back another retort the train came to an abrupt stop, sending almost everyone flying out of their seats. A couple of groans were heard back at the corridors as the power on the train went out leaving them in complete darkness.

"What the bloody hell happened?!"

"Danny you're stepping on my foot!"

"Guys please don't fight, I can't stand up"

"Marucho I think you're on top of my legs"

"Kid I think you're on top of me, move it!"

"Dan don't shout you're going to give us all a headache"

"Shun if you would please move a bit I think you're on top of my arm"

It was a mass of complaining and shouting as everyone tried to get back to their seats without hurting the other. Shun quickly moved away giving enough space for Alice to stand up and help Marucho. Runo was finally able to move away from Dan and stand up while he stayed silent. Julie quickly pulled away from the floor and quickly looked out the door.

"Looks like the power isn't coming back on guys" Julie whined a bit. Then as quick as she opened the door she shut it. Runo couldn't see her properly but she knew from her actions that she was frightened by something.

"What happened?" Shun said after the whole commotion. The Hufflepuff didn't say anything else but a couple of doors shut once again. Something wasn't right at all. Runo moved towards the window of the compartment, trying to see if something was wrong outside. It was now pitch black and a heavy rain started to pour from the sky, but nothing seemed out of place. Just as she was about to voice out her thoughts a slight frost started to spread over the glass.

"What?" She came closer to look at it. The layer of frost continued to spread over the window as the ice thickened. A gasp made her turn and freeze at the sight before her. The frost started spreading over the compartment's door and Runo could see the silhouette of a person from the other side.

That's what she thought until the door slowly opened. The first thing she noticed was the rattling of the handle and how cold it had gotten inside the room. Once the door opened a bony and blackish hand started to push the door open and she was frozen to the spot, not taking her eyes off of it. With a bang the door slammed opened and there stood was seemed to be a hooded creature standing in front of them.

Everyone stood completely still as they watched the black hooded creature. Runo could properly see that the creature seemed kind of decayed and murky, with a horrible aura emitting out of it. It was as if the creature knew she was looking at it, as his face moved towards her. A sinking feeling settled on her stomach just as the creature removed the hood from his face.

Whatever his face was, the creature had empty eye sockets and covered with scabbed skin all over it, maybe even a bit greenish and murky. A large gaping hole was situated just where the mouth should be, with the same state of decomposition as the rest of its body. Runo held on to the window right behind her just as the creature drew a long and cold breath over them, as if it was trying to suck on something more than just air.

A cold swept over all of them in a blink of an eye. Runo felt the cold seeping into her body, heart and soul, just as she tried to regain her breath. An immense sadness and terror settled onto her mind and she couldn't see properly anymore. Her ears blocked out any noise and the only thing her mind was focusing on was the sense of dread settling over her. Air was leaving her body and she couldn't breathe properly.

Screams were heard far, far away from her. Terrible screams filled with anguish and pleading, drummed in her ears. She felt the need to help the woman who kept on screaming. It might've been her imagination but she could hear her name being among them. Runo tried looking for the woman but she couldn't move nor think straight as a white fog thickened over her.

"Runo?! Runo, are you all right?!" The voice of Alice filled her ears and she could feel that she was slapping her. She managed to open her eyes. A blinding light above her and the rocking of the train informed her that the Hogwarts Express was on the move once again. Dan and Alice were hovering over her, while Julie, Marucho and Shun stood next to them looking down at her. Somehow she had crashed on the floor.

"I'm fine" She managed to say. As she sat up her mind started to jumble and she almost crashed on the floor again if it weren't for Dan. She could feel cold sweat all over her face as the brunette helped her stand up and sat back down on the compartment seat. She gripped onto his shoulder for support as she tried to regain her breath "What happened? Where's the-e hooded thing? Who was screaming?"

"No one was screaming Runo" Dan had a concerned look over his face as he said it. Runo frowned a bit. What had she just heard? A small crack startled her and she finally recognized Mr. Kuso inside their compartment. He held out a piece of chocolate for her.

"Here Runo, you should eat it, it'll make you feel better" Mr. Kuso offered with a kind smile. She slightly nodded and ate the piece of chocolate. He was right. She could feel her mood lighter and her breath even steadier.

"What-" Runo coughed a bit "-What was that thing?"

"It's a dementor" Mr. Kuso had a concerned look on his face as he looked back at the corridor "Nasty creatures by far. They guard Azkaban and probably thought that Soichiro Hoshi was hiding inside the train" He sighed and ruffled his hair, in the same manner Dan did "I got here just in time though. Let me go check how the other students are doing" With that Mr. Kuso left the compartment.

"You really gave us a scare Runo" Julie muttered. Her face had went pale and she kept looking at her with worried eyes "We thought you were dying on us"

"But what exactly happened?" Runo asked, hissing slightly as a headache started appearing. Dan gently pushed her head into his shoulder.

"Well-the thing-g, the dementor-" Marucho started explaining, clearly shaking from retelling the scene "-It just stood at the entrance and then it seemed as if he had looked right at you"

"We thought you had a fit" Alice spoke up "You fell down to the floor. If it weren't for Dan you would've crashed right onto it"

"Your skin was super cold after that" Dan noted with a hint of worry in his voice "You started fidgeting and that's when my dad came in" Then he made a confused expression "It was super weird. My dad looked pretty calm actually and just said to the dementor 'None of us is hiding Soichiro Hoshi. Please leave the train immediately', after that the dementor didn't listen and dad recited a spell and a silvery figure scared the creature away"

"It felt horrible" Julie muttered among them, rubbing her arms as if trying to get warm "I mean it got super cold once the thing came in and then I felt extremely sad and miserable"

"That's the thing about dementors" Shun started picking up their respective luggage and placing it where it was before the train stopped "My grandfather visited Azkaban once, since that's where the dementors are usually at. He told me that those creatures only feed themselves from feelings like happiness, hope and peace. It was as if they are here to drain every happy memory within you. That's partly the reason why so many people go mad inside Azkaban"

"I've read about it as well" Alice added "Like Shun said, those creatures feed on all of the good emotions in the world. It seems to me that they were sent by the Ministry to look for Hoshi"

"I would like to believe that it isn't true" Julie grumbled, already a defeated look on her face "But the way the minister's been acting and the immense amount of interviews and demands to capture him begin rising, I think he might just send the dementors to look for Hoshi at Hogwarts"

Runo stayed silent after that. Dan was still at her side and she wasn't in the mood to move away from her position. Her head rested on his shoulder and she began thinking of something that had been bothering her since the dementor appeared. She still couldn't place where the screaming was coming from and it seemed as if the presence of the creature had affected her in a bigger way than her friends. They all looked completely fine, but she still felt a bit at shock with all of it. That feeling made her feel weak and vulnerable. She really didn't like that.

"Don't think like that." Dan whispered to her. She carefully looked up to him, not knowing what to say for a second "I don't know why you fainted with the dementor but I'm sure that has nothing to do with being weak"

"I don't know what you're talking about" She decided to ignore his claims. He looked like he wanted to keep talking about it but a whistle of the train cut him off. They had finally arrived at the Hogsmeade station. Runo managed to stand up without much difficulty, and got her luggage before anyone else. She exited the compartment hoping they wouldn't notice her mood.

"First years this way please!" She could hear the instructions given by Professor Ingram. He waved at the new students and led them towards the Black Lake. Her friends were by her side once again and they made way towards the carriages taking them to Hogwarts. None of them spoke as they entered the carriage and Runo wasn't really in the mood for it. Her mind was still swarming with the incident with the dementor. After all, that screaming felt awfully familiar but she couldn't pin point to whom it belonged to.

* * *

"Misaki I hear you fainted back at the train! Is that true?" Talk about a damper on her mood. Hydron Prince had made his way next to Runo accompanied with both Sion Cornies and Lucas Smith, a nasty grin in all of their faces. She gave them a glare and opted to just ignore them as she entered the castle along her friends. It seems like Hydron couldn't take a 'no' for an answer and basically shoved Alice from her side and pushed her back.

"Oh sod off Prince" Runo glared back at him, but he only looked even more amused.

"Oh poor Misaki _fainted_ at the sight of a dementor" He chuckled darkly, his lackeys standing now next to him. If she had been in better spirits she would've mouthed him off right at the moment, but she only wanted to shove him away.

"So early and you're already bitching Prince?" Dan stood next to her, tall and proud. Hydron's smile instantly widened as he looked back at him, as if he already knew which buttons to push to get Dan into trouble.

"Well if it isn't Kuso. I heard that you're father will be the new Muggle Studies professor, what couldn't afford to keep paying your dirty old shack?" He snickered and even Runo felt the urge to throw him a punch at the comment. Dan glared at him darkly but made no move against the blonde.

"Prince if I heard correctly you father had been detained after the ministry found a large collection of dark objects in his attic, is that true?" Shun smoothly asked, the faintest hints of a smile over his lips. Hydron's face darkened once he looked back at him.

"Let's go boys" And with that him and his lackeys entered the castle. Runo smiled at Shun in gratitude but he only shrugged at it. Dan was the one most excited after such statement. He instantly slung his arm over the Slytherin's neck and ruffled his hair. Shun made a noise in protest against it, but Dan ignored it.

"Who would've thought that the first thing you would do at entering the castle would be to shut Prince up!" He laughed and Shun was finally able to break free from his grip. His hair was all ruffled up but the brunette only laughed harder at him.

"And here I thought you had already matured" Shun commented as he combed his hair with his fingers and Dan protested wildly at him. The rest of them laughed at their interaction as everyone entered the Hogwarts castle. Runo's mood lifted even more once she stepped through the doors, a warm feeling of belonging settled on her stomach, and a big wide grin on her lips.

"Guys I'll see you later!" Julie waved a quick goodbye as she ran up to catch her roommates in Hufflepuff. Shun waved them a goodbye as well as he caught up with his friend from Slytherin, Ace Grit. Marucho and Alice were about to say their goodbyes as well until Professor Drago appeared around the corner.

"Miss Misaki and Mr. Maruka I need to speak with you for a moment" Professor Drago was the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, the Head of Gryffindor House and the Deputy Headmaster. While it was true that last year he hadn't been at Hogwarts and that Klaus Knight had filled in his position, he was once again back again for the year. He looked quite the same as before, his black hair was still pulled back in a ponytail and his robes were still golden and red. He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked quite tired, but his smile was still there.

"Nice to see you again Mr. Kuso and Miss Gehabic, but I'm afraid I need to speak with them alone" The two of them gave him a short nod and directed themselves to the Great Hall. Runo had the feeling that she had done something to upset him "No need to look so worried, I just need to chat with you for a moment" Runo and Marucho exchanged a glance and followed Professor Drago back to his office.

Once there, Runo recognized that the office that Klaus Knight once used had been now replaced with all of the professor's belongings. A satisfied smile spread on her lips, remembering it was still the same since her first year.

"Miss Misaki Professor Kuso informed me you fainted back at the train, are you alright now?" He asked worriedly. Her face went red in embarrassment and before she could comment on it someone else entered the room. It was Elfin Rain, the Matron of Hogwarts. Her face reddened even more.

"Professor I'm fine, really! I'm feeling perfectly okay!" She started protesting trying not to involve herself in this. She didn't need medial attention, she felt completely okay.

"Oh it's you Runo!" Elfin greeted her with cheerfulness "What, did you fall off your broom already?" She chuckled at her own joke.

"Sadly that wasn't the case Elfin" Professor Drago explained, "It was a dementor" They both exchanged a dark look. In a swift motion Elfin pulled Runo to sit down on one of the chairs and started her examination.

"What was the minister thinking when he sent them here anyway" She muttered with anger. It was the first time Runo had seen the woman so angry and frustrated at something "Believe me she won't be the only one attacked by them. They always go for the most delicate-"

"I'm not delicate!" Runo basically pushed her off and stood up "Really I'm fine! Professor Kuso already gave me a bar of chocolate and I don't feel nauseated or _weak_ " She tried to make emphasis on the last word.

"Well at least a capable teacher was now with them" Elfin smiled and moved to the door "If you need anything Runo just go to the Hospital Wing" and with that she left.

"If you insist that you are fine Miss Misaki, wait outside my office. I need to discuss something with Mr. Maruka as Deputy Headmaster" Runo nodded right away, exchanging a confused look with the blonde and exiting the office. With her back against the wall she looked one-way to another, until her sight landed on a rather peculiar creature. It seemed like a normal boy, but the odd thing was that he was flying around.

He was floating from side to the other, disturbing all of the portraits and not giving any sort of mercy on them. He would sing, cheer awful names and sentences or even attempt to scribble on top of the portraits, but Runo had never seen him around before. The ghost suddenly turned to her, as if feeling her eyes on him. He had dark skin, along with bright orange mane and a pair of shinning brown eyes. He was dressed in a set of extravagant clothes with bright colors, enough for anyone to notice him. The strange thing was that he didn't have the same appearance as a ghost, he was solid-looking.

"Well, well if it isn't the great oh rescuer Runo Misaki!" He exclaimed in a high-pitched tone of voice that forced her to cover her ears. The creature cackled loudly and even more portraits groaned in displeasure "Oh don't worry you'll get to hear my laughter all night!"

"Who are you anyway?" Runo asked, kind of pissed at him and his rude behavior towards everyone. He turned once again to her, mocking smile as he approached her. Instead of introducing himself, the creature took out two round tomatoes out of his robes and flung them straight at her. Luckily she was able to duck right in time as the tomatoes splashed onto the stone-wall leaving a nasty red mark behind. The ghost cackled even louder.

"Cycloid get a towel and clean up this mess" Professor Drago had finally come out from his office, not looking amused at the least. Marucho was next to him, looking between him and the creature. Runo stood now beside the Ravenclaw.

"And here I thought you weren't coming back Drago" Cycloid commented, now a bit more serious than before. He gave the professor one last smile before disappearing all together. Professor Drago only sighed and waved his wand as the stains and rests of the tomatoes disappeared in a split second.

"That's Cycloid, the poltergeist" The professor explained as the three made way towards the Great Hall for the feast "The last few years he was actually locked up at the basements of the school for terrible behavior and I suppose Professor Wyvern deemed it okay for him to come back" The all reached the wooden doors "I'll advise you to keep out from his sight"

They all entered the Great Hall and Runo could finally relax. It was the same as in the past years, all of the new students had already been selected and they were chatting and eating in their respective tables. Runo waved goodbye to Marucho as she reached the Gryffindor table and sat down right next to Dan, who saved her a seat. She greeted both of her roommates Fabia Sheen and Chan Lee as well, along with Billy Gilbert.

"What was that about?" Dan whispered to her. Before Runo could answer, Professor Wyvern stood up tall and proud from her seat. She had a bright smile on her face that was sure as she greeted all of the new and previous students.

"Welcome!" She exclaimed happily "Welcome to all of students, from first to seventh years. We hope you enjoy another year at Hogwarts! But before I continue I have two announcements for you" She cleared her throat and Runo could tell from afar that the professor's demeanor had changed slightly.

"As you know after the search made in the Hogwarts Express, the castle is playing as host to some dementors sent from Azkaban, thanks to the Ministry of Magic" Runo had never seen Professor Wyvern angry, but from the looks of it the headmistress really wanted the creatures gone "They are stationed at every entrance on the grounds. Therefore nobody is allowed to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not the best creatures around and they can't be fooled by simple tricks or _Invisibility Cloaks_ " That last part was definitely meant for them. Dan and Runo exchanged a glance.

"I warn every student and teacher to give no reason to the dementors to cause you pain. I advise you to stay out of harm's way. I look to the prefects and our new Head Boy and Girl to assure that no student is harmed or in the way of the dementors" Professor Wyvern had a stern look as she scanned all of the students in front of her.

"On a much happier note, I'm pleased to announce the new teacher for Muggle Studies, who kindly accepted the offer, Shinjiro Kuso!" Dan's father stood up from his spot and smiled as the rest of the students clapped for him. Runo had a bright smile as she clapped along with Dan. She then suddenly noticed a dark look on Professor Gehabic's face and a suspicious one from Professor Skyress as well.

"Aside from that there are no more announcements" Professor Wyvern now had a wide smile over her face "Let the feast begin!"

Roars of cheers and whistles were heard all throughout the Great Hall as the tray of food appeared before them. Runo cheered as well as she started picking from every plate she could find, her stomach growling with hunger. Dan was already at his second plate, no shame on his face at all as he continued to eat.

Excited chattering filled the room, along with the clanking of forks and knives. Runo was chatting excitedly with both of her roommates. According to Fabia, now that Casey Miyasaka, their previous Chaser at the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, had graduated she could try out for the spot. Chan Lee on the other hand was excitedly telling them of one the electives she had picked out along with the new book of Xylomancy she had purchased.

It was past midnight when Professor Wyvern sent them all off to bed. Each of the houses made their way towards their Common Room, lead by the Head Boy and Girl of each house. Runo could see the first year students excitedly pointing at the moving portraits and almost scaring their pants off once the stairs started moving. They finally reached the Gryffindor Common Room and Runo couldn't help the excited feeling growing all throughout her body. She felt like the excited first years that were filling the room. She was finally home.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I took a bit longer to update than expected, sorry! But I'm back from my trip finally but school is already rolling around and slowly killing me haha so the dementors finally make their appearance! And from what you can expect, they are the worst of the worst in general and for Runo as well. And well yeah the year is just rolling around, we'll have to wait and see how it plays out haha**

 **As you can probably sense, Shinjiro will take the role of Remus Lupin in this story from this point on. Not exactly as you can see, since well he's Dan's father and everything (and no he's not a werewolf) but the role of teacher mentor will be his job. So you can probably expect where this will lead to eventually concerning Hoshi (drama that's what)**

 **Also for the romance part, for those of you who were asking haha the romance will start somewhere between the Fourth Year and Fifth Year and well from then on as well. But what I meant to say was that their relationships will not be oblivious (at least not to me)** but they are not going to be with the people you expect **(it doesn't mean those couples are endgame). I don't know if I'm explaining myself properly haha but to reassure your hearts don't worry the romance is coming. For the Third Year is basically the teasing and what not, but the heavy stuff comes for Fifth Year and on. Once again if you still have questions or what no, don't be afraid to leave a review or PM for a more straightforward reply haha**

 **Anyways** **the next update for this story I'll try to make it somewhere in between February and March? I'm not completely sure, since I'm already like two chapters ahead in this story but I'm trying to catch up with the typing of chapters for "** Mutant Battle Brawlers" **As for "** WFAU **" worry not I have like four one shots already typed out hahaha go big or go home haha** **Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!**


	21. Third Year: Whacky Divination

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **· Whacky Divination**

So far the first day at Hogwarts had been surprisingly uneventful. Runo had woken with a smile on her face and alongside her roommates had walked right back to the Great Hall to enjoy a marvelous breakfast. Now reality seemed to bit her back in the face as she stared at Hydron's table as he happily entertained a large group of Slytherins with the tale of her fainting before a dementor.

"That stupid git!" Fabia growled under her breath, as she was about to pounce out of her seat and lunge at the boy. Runo and Chan Lee had to hold her back as curses flew out of her mouth one after the other.

"Just ignore him for god's sake." The Chinese muttered under her breath as she tried to steady the girl. Runo shot Hydron a dirty look as he placed over his robes to seem like a hooded creature. Dan came to sit down right next to her along with his friend Billy Gilbert.

"Prince acting so mature so early in the year, that's a shocker" The brunette said, a scowl still present. Runo chuckled a bit before drinking a bit of lemon juice "Apparently he went running into Billy's and the twin's compartment"

"Almost wet himself." The blonde said with a smirk, making the blunette laugh even harder "He was shaking as a leaf as he entered and asked for help. But I really don't like those creatures. Awful lot the dementors" Runo managed to gulp down her juice and grimace at the events that had occurred. Although the return back to Hogwarts had been amazing she was still on the edge thanks to the fainting and sudden attack of the hooded creatures.

"Well we can maybe repay him back in Quidditch" Dan shot her a smirk, and the mood lifted up a bit "Quidditch season starts in a month and the first game of the season is Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, better start practicing"

"Things are about to get interesting then" Runo smirked just as the students inside the Great Hall started heading towards the first class of the day. Dan, Billy and her said their goodbyes to their housemates and made way towards the North Tower where their first class of Divination would take place. They quickly reached the tower and with a lot of dread climbed up the thousand of steps to get to the top. Huffing and trying to breathe properly they couldn't find any sign of a classroom. Quite confused as to where to find the Divination class they came across a narrow spiral staircase.

Runo was almost out of breath once they reached a little landing a couple of voices of murmurs could be heard. The three of them looked up and noticed a trapdoor at the ceiling with a silver brass in the center of it. The class hadn't even started and she was already fed up with all of the process to get to the classroom.

"Professor Angelo Diablo, Divination teacher." Billy announced out loud, irritation flowing out of his voice "And how in the world are we getting there?"

Suddenly the trapdoor opened and a small staircase appeared right in front of their eyes, leaving them quite startled. Runo peeked her head inside and noticed the group of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs inside the classroom.

"After you" Dan said in a teasing voice and she only shoved his head. Saying that she had walked inside the strangest looking classroom was an understatement. The walls were crammed with shelves either containing books, crystal balls or teacups of different shapes and colors. At least around twenty round tables were arranged in front of a marvelous blue high-end chair. Runo didn't know if she should stay or run back to her room. Quickly spotting Julie waving at them, the three Gryffindors sat down right next to her. All of a sudden a pink smoke bomb exploded in front of the class and there stood a very tall and thin man.

"Hello children!" He exclaimed happily, a wicked grin up on his face "How nice to finally be able to see you! Welcome to Divination!" Runo was surprised at the man standing before her. He had a long face along with light blue locks over his head. He was wearing a tux that was half yellow and half red, along with a glistening tie and a green pair of earrings. In some way the man looked familiar to Professor Preyas.

"I'm Professor Angelo Diablo and I'll be your Divination teacher" He started explaining "I usually don't roam around school, no need to since I have the Inner Eye with me" The professor took his eye lid and expanded it, making Julie disgusted "Anyhow I have to warn you that Divination is not an easy task and if you do not have the Sight it will be quite difficult for you" He grinned at them once more.

"What's with this guy?" Dan whispered to her, making her shrug in doubt. The room was starting to get filled with perfumes of different kinds and it was getting quite clammed inside.

"We'll cover the basic. First reading tea leaves, then palmistry, followed by crystal balls and finally reading fire omens. We'll se how you'll do children!" Professor Angelo released a maniac laugh that got everyone on edge "You dear-" He pointed at Julie's housemate, Mui Yahagi "-Is your brother well? You should keep an eye on him just in case" The girl went white as a sheet.

"Boy keep on the same path that you're going and you'll end up in a dark place" He pointed now at Billy, who seemed startled by it all. The class became a whispering and muttering mess, everyone trying to understand what was going on "Now class! Divide in pairs. We'll have a little assignment! Get a teacup from the shelf and come to me to fill it. Then, drink the tea until the drags remain. Turn them with your left hand three times and then exchange it with your pair. Interpret the patterns with your book and discuss it among you!"

Everyone quickly got to work and Runo ended up pairing with Julie, while Dan and Billy got together. They quickly drank their tea and did as Professor Angelo instructed them. Runo got her textbook out, feeling stupider by the second as she took Julie's cup and tried to examine the pattern. There wasn't any sort of shape similar to the images inside the book. In her perspective it looked like any normal bundle of wet leaves.

"Well, I only see brown and murky stuff" She grumbled in annoyance, shuffling page after page in her book, trying to find some explanation. She took a quick look around and everyone looked unsure of what they were doing. Well, at least she wasn't the only one not out of her mind.

"Open up your minds children! See beyond what you can read in the leaves!" Professor Angelo encouraged everyone as he passed around the tables. Runo caught Dan's look of utter confusion and couldn't help but to chuckle at him.

"Well let's see…" Julie tried to twist and turn the cup in her hands "You have some sort of crooked cross in here- which means trials and suffering" The Hufflepuff frowned sending her a wary look. Runo only shrugged at her motioning for her to continue "No wait I think I see some sort of animal here—it looks like a sheep"

"Let me take a look at it dear" Professor Angelo appeared before them with a happy grin. He took the cup from Julie's hands "It's a falcon—you have a deadly enemy" Runo didn't act the bit surprised at that one. In fact everyone looked at the professor with exasperation "A skull—danger in your path" His grin vanished from his mouth as the cup slipped from his hands and crashed onto the floor.

The professor looked quite startled as he looked at her. Runo was unsure of what to say to him. The whole class was in silence as they watched the two of them. His eyes kept looking down at the broken cup, not leaving for a second the wet leaves. Then he looked up to her and Runo could see a great terror and fear pooling around them.

"My poor girl…" He whispered, the happy aura around him gone completely "Should I? No I shouldn't, maybe I should end the class…" He started whispering to himself, almost as if he was talking with another person, until he looked back up to her again. She gulped completely unsure of what was about to come next "Your cup…you have the Grim"

"Eh?" Runo only managed to stutter out, quite confused. Some of the students knew what that meant and they let out horrible gasps of fear. Dan and Billy looked both confused and quite agitated by the commotion. Julie turned to look at her, eyes big as plates, anxiety and tremor written all over her face.

"The Grim a giant spectral dog that haunts churchyards" The professor explained, a preoccupied expression on his face "It is the worst omen…one of death."

Her eyes widened as she took in the words. Did people really predict death with just a bunch of leaves? Was this professor joking? The images of the black wolf hunting her down appeared in her mind. The animal had been following her around after she escaped the orphanage and she could still feel like someone was always watching her back. Did that actually mean that they were signs of her dying?

Everyone around her started discussing the topic and even some tried to reconnect the pieces of the broken cup, trying to get a clear look of the creature on it. Dan and Billy exchanged worried glances, along with Julie who was trying to see the leaves once again. Professor Angelo then cleared up his throat, trying to get back into his happy mood once again.

"Well class I think that will be it for today. Read the chapter on 'Tea Leaves the signs from beyond' in your book and bring an essay for next class" He said to the class. Everyone let a couple of coughs and started gathering their things "Oh and dear-" He pointed at Mui Yahagi "Please do send an owl to your home, just to check on your brother."

Runo bolted out of the room as quick as she could, trying to ignore the guilty and sorry looks everyone was giving her. Dan and Julie were both calling out to her but she didn't bother to look back, the words of Professor Angelo replaying in her mind. Divination was just a fool's class. She shouldn't have even enlisted the topic. She shouldn't get too worked up on it, but she couldn't help connect the dots with the black wolf that kept appearing everywhere she went.

"Runo wait up geez!" Julie panted as she placed a hand on her shoulder, making her turn around "Girl you really need to listen more!" They both caught up to her, eyes filled with worry. She couldn't stand it at all, wanting nothing more than just her own space for a single moment.

"Kid just don't listen to him" Dan tried saying, but even she could see that he wasn't convinced with his own words "It's just wizards get really nervous whenever they see a Grim or something similar, I'm sure you haven't seen any black dog or even a wolf."

"I have" Runo crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a bit uncomfortable by the looks her friends were giving her "Back when I left the orphanage, I saw a black wolf" Blood seemed to drain over their faces as both Julie and Dan exchanged worried looks. The tension was broken when Alice and Shun came walking up to them.

"Why such a depressing looks on all of you?" She asked quite concerned at the three of them. Runo huffed as she explained the whole situation to the both of them. She expected them to look quite startled but even Alice laughed a bit.

"Runo Divination is not a precise branch of magic" Alice explained "Too many possibilities for that to happen. And from what my grandfather has told me, Professor Angelo has a habit of predicting the death of a student each year, and nobody has died just yet. So lighten up!" The red head looked completely proud of herself, making Runo's chest feel a bit lighter after the topic.

"But Alice! Professor Angelo saw the Grim on her cup!" Julie interjected with diligence "And Runo just told us that she has seen it! That's super bad! When my Grandfather Kai—may he rest in peace—died, he saw the Grim! Then he dropped dead a day later!"

"It was probably just a stray dog and maybe it was only bad luck why that happened" Alice only shrugged at the suggestion, completely convinced about her way of thinking. "Look Divination is a lot of guesswork and it doesn't give you something concrete and Runo hasn't dropped dead since she saw the dog, or has she?"

"Alice you're being stubborn again!" The Hufflepuff cried out, clearly hitting a nerve "The book even says it quite clearly that a black wolf or dog is an omen of death! You shouldn't take this lightly!"

"And you shouldn't take it so personally!" The Ravenlaw cried back, surprising almost everyone around them. Runo looked with wide eyes at the redhead, clearly not expecting the outburst from her part. Julie could care less and kept arguing with her even more.

Things were getting more and more agitated as both Alice and Julie continued to argue with each other about who was right. For Runo's part, she felt a bit more relieved after hearing what the redhead had to say. She felt even a bit foolish as she remembered feeling scared for a couple of bundled tea leaves.

"There was nothing woolly about the Grim on Runo's cup!" Julie snapped back at Alice, now quite fed up with her "If you don't believe it's none of my business, but I think you just don't like being wrong at something for a change" That had hit a nerve once again.

"If not believing rubbish makes me sound prideful then sue me!" Alice said back, quite fed up as well with the silver haired girl. They were getting closer to each other and their voices reaching higher tones with each argument "But I wouldn't be so sure about following a bundle of soggy leaves!"

"Guys calm down!" Runo tried separating the two, but neither of them wanted to listen to her "Look! It doesn't matter, Professor Angelo might not be that accurate!" The two girls glared at each other once more and then turned away from each other, Alice still grumbling under her breath. She sighed, brushing away her blue bangs out of her face.

"Still Runo! You saw the Grim! And there's no denying that!" Julie said that with a jab directed specifically at the Ravenclaw. They were about to start on their fight again but Marucho thankfully caught up to them a bright smile on his lips.

"Hey guys!" Sensing the tight atmosphere his smile flattered a bit "So Divination wasn't that good? I just got out of Arithmacy and it was amazing!" He was basically glowing now. Alice was about to continue her arguing with Julie, but stopped right before she spoke. She turned to the blonde, a suspicious look over her face.

"You were in Arithmacy with us?" Alice asked quite shaken up. She looked up to Shun, who in turn only shrugged. "I though you told me you had chosen Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes? And both of them are in the afternoon tomorrow." Marucho's lips were now forming a nervous smile. Even Runo could sense that something wasn't right.

"W-Well-" He started stammering now, as he looked at everywhere but them "Dan!" The brunette looked up quite startled for being called out "Professor Ingram told me about the newest lesson! We'll have a class analyzing the hippogriffs!"

"Oh I remember now!" Dan exclaimed happily as he took a stand next to the blond boy, the same wild grin on his lips "Professor Ingram's sent a message to the class to invite all of the students to see the hippogriffs, so we were wondering if you wanted to come along? But it's even after Christmas break and whatnot, still a long way to go!"

Before any of them could answer the hour for the next class rolled around. Students flooded the halls as they made way towards their next class. Defense Against the Dark Arts was next on Runo's schedule and if she was correct, she had class along with the Ravenclaws. They bid their goodbyes to both Shun and Julie as the rest headed towards the DATDA classroom with their original teacher Professor Drago.

Thankfully the DATDA class was back to normal, not in any way similar to Professor Knight's awful teaching. Professor Drago was already waiting for them as the class started to fill with students both from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. And standing right next to him was Mr. Kuso, bright smile on his face. Dan immediately turned to her, a mortified expression over his face, but she only shrugged.

"Good afternoon children, I bet you didn't miss my classes at all last year" Drago chuckled a bit, as the students sat down on their tables and took out their books "Oh please save your books in your bags, today we'll be doing a practical lesson and our new professor, Shinjiro Kuso is here to assist us" Mr. Kuso gave them a kind smile and waved his hand at Dan, who went red in embarrassment "If you would follow us"

"Okay let's hope this doesn't turn into a disaster like Klaus Knight's class" Dan muttered under his breath as he avoided having any contact with his father. Runo cheerfully waved at Mr. Kuso with a sheepish smile as he did the same.

Everyone exited the classroom, being led by both Professor Drago and Kuso as they turned a few corridors and halls and made way to a classroom at the far end of the floor. Right above it, there was Cycloid, the poltergeist, loudly chewing on a piece of gum. Once he noticed the incoming students and the professor's at the front his lips turned into a mischievous grin.

"Oh jolly good Equus! Haven't seen your face around lately!" He cackled quite loudly "Missing your pal Romulus? Heard you don't see each other much" Everyone exchanged confused glances. What in the world was he talking about?

Mr. Kuso looked up at the poltergeist, quite amused at the whole act, and he took out his wand. Dan looked at his father with confusion as well as Runo. Did Professor Kuso know anything at all about what Cycloid was talking about?

"I would stop sticking gum in the keyholes Cycloid. Last I heard from you, you were inside a broom closet" Dan's father said with amusement. The poltergeist just huffed and took the gum with him, disappearing in a split second. Shinjiro turned to Drago and said: "Thought I would have the chance to blast him, guess it's no more"

Professor Drago gave him a rare smile as he opened up the door and all of the students flooded the room. It looked like an old staffroom, full with mismatched chairs at the corners and worn out painting. At the center of it all, there was an old wardrobe. The students all stood in a semi circle right in front of it when it suddenly jumped up a bit in the air, startling them.

"There is nothing to worry about" Professor Drago instructed them as he and Mr. Kuso stood on each side of the wardrobe. It wobbled once again and the muttering among the crowd started once again "I should add that the wardrobe contains a boggart inside"

Many students worried even more, taking a few steps backwards from the item. Mira Clay now stood right next to Alice, looking at the doorknob with apprehension. Runo's roommates, Chan-Lee and Fabia even looked quite troubled by it. For her case she hardly knew what a boggart was, but still took a couple of steps back.

"Now, boggarts like dark and enclosed spaces, such as the small creak in this old wardrobe" Professor Drago started his explanation "They can usually be found in a gap between the bed, under the sink and even behind big old clocks. This one here appeared just a few days ago and Professor Wyvern gave me permission to use it in class." He looked back at the curious looking students "Now, what is a boggart?"

Alice and Marucho's hand quickly shot up in the air, along with a few Gryffindors. Professor Drago pointed at Alice.

"A boggart is a shape-shifter" The redhead started, "It takes form of whatever it thinks that can frighten the user more. It is always best to confront a boggart with company since it will confuse it and he will not know in what to transform"

"Very good Miss Gehabic, five points for Ravenclaw" The students cheered for a bit before the professor continued his explanation "As Miss Gehabic explained, it is always best to attack a boggart in the company of others since it will end up confusing him. Now the charm that repels a boggart is simple, it requires quite the strength of mind. The thing that can finish a boggart is laughter, so repeat after me… _Riddikulus!_ "

" _Riddikulus!_ " The whole class repeated after the professor with enthusiasm.

"Very well, now" Professor Drago turned to Marucho and motioned for him to stand right next to him. The blonde was shaking all the way towards the professor, sending pleading looks to them "Now Mr. Maruka this is where you come in. Now tell me, what frightens you the most?"

"Um-m, I'm quite afraid of many things…" He muttered quite nervously making a few classmates chuckle "But ghosts frighten me the most" He finished, quite embarrassed by his response. Some of the class laughed even more but others had a look of understanding over their face.

"Now let's think of a way to turn a ghost into a funny scene" Professor Drago smiled at him, placing a hand on his back "I want you to concentrate to make a ghost look funny. I will open the wardrobe, and concentrate hard enough on it. Alright?" Marucho nodded at him, still quite unsure of what was he going to do "Now class, after Mr. Maruka manages to work the charm, it is likely that the boggart would chose another one of you as target. I want you to think of what frightens you the most and find a way to make it funny"

The class went into deep thought, all of them thinking of their deepest fears. Runo thought hard on the question, but the results were all dreading. The instant thought was the image of Naga. A Naga returned back with full strength. The other was the basilisk she had encountered on her previous year. But before she could find an answer for any of those, a scary memory resurfaced.

The image of the rotting hand and the empty eye sockets, along with the immense cold and suffering still lingered on her mind. Runo felt her heart stop as she remembered the experience all too well, sending shivers down her spine. But how could she make a dementor look funny at all?

"Everyone ready?" Before Runo could respond, everyone around her agreed, "Well then, the exercise will start now. If you need help, me or Professor Shinjiro will come to your aid" Everyone took a couple of steps away from Marucho, all of them taking out their wands and ready.

"Now Mr. Maruka are you ready?" The blond gave a faint nod. Professor Drago pointed out his wand at the door's handle "One, two, three!"

A jet of sparks hit the knob of the wardrobe as the door swung open without hesitation. Marucho was shaking from head to toe as a full-fledged image of a ghost appeared right in front of him. The ghost had his head off to the side and blood seemed to pour out from his neck. He didn't move his eyes off of him as it continued to move towards him.

" _Ri-riddikulus!_ " squeaked Marucho. There was a sound similar to a loud 'crack' and the ghost in front of them had been turned into a plain old white sheet, with flowers and bubbles pouring out of his hands. Everyone laughed and the boggart stood confused at the center of the room.

"Miss Clay forward!" Mira Clay took Marucho's place, wand at the ready. The friendly ghost turned into one big an enormous basilisk. Runo's eyes widened considerably as she took a couple of steps back as she looked at the creature. Dan sent her a worried look. Even Mira hesitated a bit before pointing out her wand at it.

 _"Riddikulus!"_ The basilisk deflated and turned into a snake balloon. Everyone laughed once again as the students took place one after the other. It was a blur of laughter and excitement as the boggart transformed without stopping. Runo lost count of how many of her classmates had passed, but one thing was for sure. She still was at doubt. Before she could think the boggart was next to Dan.

 _"Riddikulus!"_ Dan shouted as the big and enormous Acromantula that had appeared lost its legs and the creature rolled off to the sides. Everyone moved out of the way until the boggart stopped right in front of Runo's feet. Her breath caught in her throat but before she could say anything the boggart was already there.

The creature seemed to halt right in her face and in an instant turned into a menacing looking dementor. Her breath caught in her throat as she commanded her arm to move and her mouth to shout out the charm but she felt frozen in fear. The dementor moved towards her as it started to take long intakes of breath. It was coming, the scream and all of the sadness and dread she had felt before.

"Here!" Mr. Kuso stood now right in front of her, wand at the ready. The dementor stopped and transformed once again. Standing before them was a black wolf.

 _"Riddikulus!"_ Professor Shinjiro bellowed as the boggart turned one last time into a small looking puppy before it vanished into thin air. Everyone clapped in admiration, but Runo could only feel guilt and disappointment at her own failure.

"Very well everyone, excellent work!" Professor Drago moved to the center of the circle "For Monday read the chapter on your books focusing on boggarts and bring an essay to me please, that will be all!"

With that everyone cleared out the classroom, excitedly talking with one another about the experience that had just occurred. Runo felt a bit left out and useless at the moment, but other than that having Drago back as a teacher was plenty. Alice, Marucho and Dan were chatting excitedly but she could only replay the moment with the boggart in her mind.

"I'm so relaxed now that Professor Drago is back to being out Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I wouldn't stand the class with Knight another year" Alice commented excitedly and then turned to Marucho "How come you've never said anything about being scared of ghosts?"

"I didn't think that information was necessary…" The blond pouted, a pink blush dusting his cheeks "I mean have you seen them? They're dead already Alice! They shouldn't be here walking with us!"

"Oh lighten up little man!" Dan chuckled a bit, ruffling his hair "The ghosts here at Hogwarts are pretty much harmless, with the exception of course of Sir Falconeer" Dan and Marucho both shuddered at the name "He is one nasty ghost to mess with"

"Runo?" Alice called out to her. She turned to her friend, not wanting to talk at the moment for any reason. The redhead sent her a worried glance, almost as if she already knew what was coming "Are you feeling alright?"

"Never better" The girl responded without missing a beat. She turned to the side, looking at the weather outside "You know what I have to check up on Lumos, I'll see you later"

Before any of her friends could stop her, she sprinted away from the scene and made way towards the Owlery at the West Tower of Hogwarts. Runo didn't register that she was basically sprinting towards it until she had reached the top of the stairs with a huffing breath. Lungs burning from the lack of air the girl entered the room and searched for her snowy owl.

The Owlery was the same as usual. It was a long circular stone room full with glassless windows, where each of the owls would perch up. The owls would come and go freely without a problem as they flew away to make their deliveries. It was getting quite chilly up so high and Runo wondered how the owls managed to survive such harsh winters. Making a quick scan of the room, she finally found her trusty owl, Lumos.

"Hey girl" She walked towards her with a full smile "Sorry I didn't come to see you sooner" The owl seemed to let out a grumpy huff but still appreciated Runo's touch. The girl giggled a bit as she searched in her bag for her owl's treat until a cough stopped her.

Runo looked up to see a shaggy light brown haired Hufflepuff boy coughing up into his uniform. He had big and astounding pair of grey eyes as he tried to stop his coughing fit. The robes he wore looked a bit too worn out and big for him, but Runo could see that he was a year older than her or so. On top of it all, he was quite handsome too. Her mind stopped once that thought settled on her mind.

Somewhere in her mind the girl found him quite similar to someone else, but she couldn't put a finger on it. Though he looked quite sick and ill, the boy managed to break off into a small smile as he headed towards a Brown Owl who was missing it's left eye. The Hufflepuff swung his brown satchel as he took out a pair of letters out from it and placed them in his owl's beak. He gave the pet one last pat on the head as the Brown Owl quickly flew away to make his deliveries. As if sensing her gaze on him, the boy turned around.

"Ah sorry!" Runo quickly apologized as she focused on getting Lumos' treats. She felt his gaze on her now, his eyes widening in realization. An awkward silence stretched between the two and she couldn't help the blush of embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it." The boy said a bit weakly, unsure if he could talk with her "You seem to take a good care of your owl" Runo turned to him a bit surprised as she handed Lumos a small pouch of treats on her hand. The owl didn't waste time in devouring them.

"You think?" She chuckled a bit.

"Well from the looks of it, it looks well fed and well treated to me" He smiled weakly, taking a few steps towards her "Besides her wings look sturdy and capable in my eyes"

"I suppose you take Care of Magical Creatures or you're just a fanatic of owls." Runo grinned when she saw his widened gaze.

"A bit of both I suppose…" The boy chuckled a bit "Ah I haven't introduced myself, I'm-" Before he could finish a sentence a Tawny Owl swooped down in front of him and dropped a ton of letters wrapped in a stack in his hands. With that the owl flew away, leaving a boy with a grimace.

"That's a lot of letters" Runo comment as she looked at the bunch "I'm sure your parents must be very worried about you"

"Yeah, mum always exaggerates…" The boy sounded a bit dejected now as he started stuffing the stack of letters on his satchel "I must be going now-" Before he could leave a paper flew away from the stack and landed right in Runo's face thanks to the hard winds of the Owlery "-Ah! Sorry!"

"No worries!" Runo struggled to remove it from her face and before she handed it right back to the boy she passed a brief glance over its cover. It was the mug shot of Soichiro Hoshi over the left side of the page, while on the right it was the photo of the Hufflepuff. Frowning a bit, the girl read on the red bolded letters over the image.

'DISGRACE TO A WIZARD'S NAME'

Runo wanted to ask what was it about but the boy had snatched the paper away from her quickly, before she could look at it again. She looked up to him a bit startled and that's when part of her mind made notice of the boy. He had the same pair of grey eyes as to the escaped convict.

"Sorry about that, I must really get going-" The boy huffed quite nervous as he stuffed the paper back into his satchel "Joe Brown pleased to meet you and I'll see you later!" With that the Huffelpuff bolted out of the Owlery and descended back into Hogwarts.

Runo looked back at him, quite surprised at the exchange and clearly not expecting that sort of meeting during the day. Another harsh wind passed by, making her shiver and tightening the hold on her coat. She felt a hard pain from her hand as she found her owl had just bit onto her.

"Ow! Lumos that hurt!" She reprimanded her pet as sucked on the injured part, trying to ease away the pain. The owl huffed a bit angrily, as if annoyed that she hadn't been paying attention to her. Runo only rolled her eyes as she took out another small bunch of treats. Lumos perked up instantly as she fed her even more.

She supposed she would ask Mr. Kuso about Joe Brown later on, but for the moment she tried to focus on feeding Lumos. Well that and trying to move on from the fact that she had just met someone from the Hoshi family.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I took a bit longer to update than expected, sorry! As I restated in MBB I was struggling with an enormous writer's block and well I think I'm slowly getting out of there (I hope) Anyways I tried to make this chapter as long as possible to compensate for the tardiness? I really don't know if it worked or not tbh haha but well hope you enjoyed it!**

 **So Joe Brown makes an appearance people! Hahaha I hand't mentioned him before because I was saving him for this moment hoho, and well as you just read he's in Hufflepuff and still has health problems, other than that he's an absolute sweetheart (bless this boy tbh) and yeah he and Hoshi are related by blood, so more questions to come after that!**

 **I have another two chapters typed out but I really need to get the hang of writing days before publishing, it makes things much easier believe me! Another thing I might update '** Lost Princess **' with the new rewritten chapter but I'm still not convinced haha who knows then! Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!**


	22. Third Year: A Grim Reminder

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **· A Grim Reminder**

"Tigrerra if you could just sign the paper I'm sure everything will be in check" Runo managed to walk beside her Transfiguration Professor, the permission slip to visit Hogsmeade clasped tightly in her hands.

It was Saturday morning and all Third Years had been excitedly talking about visiting the little town named Hogsmeade and enjoy their weekend over it. Well, everyone except Runo who didn't have her permission signed. After the whole fiasco back at Bella's she was sure she wouldn't get even an act of sympathy from the woman.

She had tried to convince Tigrerra all weekend to sign the paper but the woman would decline each time. She even went as far as trying to contact Professor Wyvern but the Headmistress had been quite occupied during the week and didn't even have time to hear her out. Runo tried to keep some sort of hope that she would be able to accompany her friends to the trip, but it seemed like Tigrerra wasn't budging at all.

"I think I made myself clear throughout the week Runo." Tigrerra kept on walking until they both reached the main exit. A big crowd of students were awaiting the professor as they stood right next to the big fence of the castle, excited looks over their faces.

Runo bit on her bottom lip as she tried once again to convince her professor. The blonde woman gave her a loud sigh and turned to her, quite guilty about it all "Look Runo I could sign the permission but I'm not your guardian and Professor Wyvern was quite strict on not letting anyone out without their permission. I'm sorry."

"But Tigrerra-" Runo wanted to keep on trying but the fence opened right before her and Tigrerra continued to walk right to the crowd of students. She let out a growl of frustration and was about to head back inside the castle when her friend's voice stopped her.

"So are you coming?" Julie excitedly asked right beside her. Once noticing her expression her mood shifted "I'm sure if you talk with Professor Wyvern she could help you out!" Runo only rolled her eyes, already frustrated enough with the matter.

"Yeah go talk with Professor Wyvern" Marucho added quite unsure of what to say to her. He and Julie exchanged worried looks between each other but right then Alice stepped in along with Dan.

"Would you like us to stay with you?" The redhead asked worriedly, already standing right beside her.

"No, you go to Hogsmeade" Runo shook her head "I still have homework to catch up to anyways."

"You sure kid?" Dan wondered, a frown on his face "We could go next time to Hogsmeade if you'd like" Shun stood beside Dan, exchanging a look of concern between him and her.

"No, really guys it doesn't matter" She easily lied. Runo brushed her bangs out of her face and exhaled a bit of her frustration "Come on, you're going to miss everything fun!" She basically pushed them all forward, trying very hard not to break her smile "Just make sure to bring me back a box of Liquorice Wands!"

Her friends all exchanged worried glances between each other before finally going on ahead and passing through the gates. Runo bit her bottom lip as she watched them go, she was really tempted to go after them. With a heavy sigh she turned around and entered the Hogwarts castle once again. That homework wasn't going to be done by itself.

The castle seemed almost empty, with the exception of the First and Second Years. Being the first weekend trip to Hogsmeade, mainly everyone with the permission to go left the castle to enjoy the little town right next to the school. Runo thought of grabbing something to eat before indulging herself in a right down boring essay about what the tealeaves meant on the full moon, but decided against it. She would be very much alone if she went to the Great Hall.

Climbing up the stairs towards the Gryffindor Common Room she stopped once she noticed Dan's father standing right in the doorway, speaking with Cycloid in a very serious manner. Never in her life she would've guessed the two of them speaking in such a situation, not after the incident involving both of them back at Professor Drago's class.

"So do you think Romulus is really after the girl?" Cycloid was floating next to Mr. Kuso, arms crossed over his chest and eyes set right on the man. Mr. Kuso sighed heavily as he turned to look at the poltergeist, quite troubled as well.

"I don't really know what he's after anymore" He brushed the bangs of his hair, looking tired as he did it "When he was taken to Azkaban I tried to talk to him but the Ministry never let me. I never got a straight answer from him" Professor Kuso paced around the hallway, looking from one portrait to another "And now so much time has passed that I don't know what to think anymore"

"I really doubt Romulus betrayed Bengal" Cycloid took in Shinjiro's shocked expression "You really believe that too and don't you dare deny it." Taking in Mr. Kuso's silence as an affirmation the creature continued to speak "I remember times were very tense when the First Wizarding War broke out and how it all unfolded wasn't the best. But I believe that Romulus would've died before betraying his family and friends"

Runo frowned as she took it all in. What were they even talking about? She suspected it had something to do involving a certain Romulus, since the past argument broke out with a similar name, but they also mentioned back when Naga first rose to the power. Cycloid turned his head, eyes spotting her and his lips curled in the usual mischievous smile.

"Well Equus when you want to continue the discussion I'm up for any time of the day" And with that the poltergeist disappeared into thin air, sending a specific glance towards her. Mr. Kuso nodded quite defeated and then turned to see her.

"Oh Runo! I thought you were going with the rest of the Third Years to Hogsmeade" He approached her, a small smile over his lips. He looked quite tired and confused but still managed to give her a smile.

"My permission slip wasn't signed" Runo said, a deflated tone in her voice.

"You should've given it to me, I could've signed it for you" He then bit back his tongue "Though I'm not your guardian or anything."

"Don't worry about it Mr. Kuso really, I still have Ancient Runes homework to catch up to" She smiled sadly as she headed towards the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room, but the man stopped right in front of her. She looked up to him quite confused but he only showed her a smile.

"You should just call me Shinjiro Runo, you make me feel old with the Mr. Kuso talk." He laughed quite heartedly "But since you're free why don't we take a stroll around the school? If you don't mind of course."

"Um, sure I guess?" It wasn't like she had anything better to do but she felt quite weird by spending the day with her best friend's father. Mr. Kuso smiled at her and led the way back down to the stairs of the castle, probably with a direction on mind. Runo quickly caught up to him, a question on her mind. "Um, Shinjiro?" He turned to her still smile on his lips "What was that talk with Cycloid about?"

"Oh that!" He grimaced a bit, but his mood changed instantly to a sour one "Well how do I put this…" He messed up his hair before inhaling. Mr. Kuso was really doubting with the matter "Maybe we shouldn't talk about such sad things" He gave her a sheepish smile before adding: "Anyway I heard from Dan you were quite frustrated after the boggart class"

Runo almost tripped on the last step of the stairs at the mention of the class. Biting her lips in frustration she tried to keep on her composure but Shinjiro had already noticed her faltering. She looked the other way as they both exited the castle and headed towards the Black Lake.

"I wasn't frustrated" She crossed her arms over her chest "Not that I'm not grateful for helping me, but why did you stop me?" It was a question that she had tried to push to the back of her mind but she couldn't avoid. It was true that she had been bothered by the fact that she felt paralyzed twice when she saw a dementor but it wasn't something she shared with her group of friends.

"I was planning to do it from the start if I'm being honest" Professor Kuso kept on walking on ahead "Professor Drago had thought about it as well. We supposed your biggest fear would be Naga, but I suppose we miscalculated a bit"

"I thought about Naga at first" She admitted, quite surprised that Shinjiro wasn't afraid to use his name like other wizards "I also thought about the basilisk from last year. But the chills running down my spine back at the Hogwarts Express when I saw the dementor were a completely different thing…" She shuddered at the thought. Mr. Kuso studied her for a moment as the both of them came to the edge of the Black Lake. The Giant Squid was floating around the lake, casually splashing water from one side to the other.

"It seems that what you fear the most is fear itself." He said after a while, a kind smile over his lips "If you felt that I interfered because I didn't deem you capable then you're completely wrong. After all you're not Tatsuo's daughter for nothing"

Runo pondered on his words for a bit but still kept on looking at the Giant Squid deciding on what to say or what to think. She felt a bit better after his words, but the fact that the dementors scared her still bothered her. It was a constant reminder over her mind at how easily she could be brought down.

"Ah but your father was a complete different kind of unpredictable," Shinjiro started laughing right away, trying to contain his laughter but failing "Sorry I just remembered something back when we were in Hogwarts" He tried to muffle his laughs with his hand.

"What was it about?" Curious to know more about her father, she asked. Mr. Kuso looked back at her and laughed once again.

"Back at our Fourth Year, your father along with another friend of ours, both of them attempted to ride the Giant Squid one November morning" He chuckled once again as if picturing the scene right in front of him. Runo started laughing as well, trying to picture her fourteen-year old dad trying to ride the Giant Squid "Amazingly they both managed to actually touch the Giant Squid before the creature splashed them away. They got a good scolding from the Head of the House, which was Wyvern back in the day"

"All of you were in Gryffindor?" Runo tried not to but laughter kept on bubbling back to her.

"As a matter of fact we were" He grinned "Your dad, me, Shun's father and your mother we were all in Gryffindor" He smiled with nostalgia, a far away look in his eyes "Though my wife was a Hufflepuff back in the days"

"Shun's father was a Gryffindor?"

"Big surprise right" Shinjiro chuckled "Shun's grandfather was a Slytherin as well and the past generations of Kazami's were all Slytherins. Haruto was the first one to end up being a Gryffindor. It caused quite the stir in his family. And in the Misakis as well" Runo gave him a confused look, but a chilly wind picked up on the horizon, making her shudder "Why don't we head back inside, you said you had ton of homework to do and I have a ton of homework to grade"

"All right" And with that they both headed to the castle once again, trying to block out the chilly winds. Runo bided off Mr. Kuso with a farewell and made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room. Without further ado she entered the Common Room and straight to recollect her books for Ancient Runes. The room was mostly deserted, though First and Second Years were sprawled all around it. Picking up a desk nearby the fireplace, she started working on her paper.

Time flew in a blink of an eye and by the time she was finishing up with her work, the sound of booming and loud voices interrupted her concentration. The door of the Common Room flew open and all of the rest of the Gryffindor students entered, chattering excitedly among each other. A pang of envy made way to Runo's mind but she tried to block it as her friends made way towards her.

"The biggest bag of Liquorice Wands for you!" Dan booming voice made her head snap back at him. A plastic bag the size of her head was presented right in front of her eyes, Dan holding it up with a grinning mouth. Runo had to smile back at him in gratitude as she took in her hands the bag of sweets.

"Geez! I knew I said to bring me back a box but not a whole store." She laughed, quickly tearing open the bag and savoring her candy. The brunette grinned with enthusiasm as her roommates quickly filled her in with the fantastic shops that Hogsmeade had to offer. She really felt left out now.

"You should've seen Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop Runo! They had the latest quill made from Occamy hair! It was beautiful!" Chan Lee excitedly talked to her about the quill shop, a dreamy look in her eyes as she remembered all of the merchandise in the building.

"Oh there you go again with your boring stuff" Fabia brushed her off, turning to Runo "Zonko's Joke Shop, now that's a store!" As if everyone heard her, the housemates all agreed whole heatedly to the affirmation "Dungbombs, Sugar Quills, Hiccough Sweets, every kind of instrument to play pranks is in there!"

"Indeed they are!" As if on cue the Kuso Twins both walked over to their table. The two of them having an evil glint in their eyes "You should expect more pranks in the upcoming week" Kenta affirmed, taking out what seemed to be a Dungbomb "I would be careful if I were you!"

"You should avoid that at best, Quidditch season is coming up." Dan said with a small frown over his eyes "We play Slytherin next weekend"

"No need to tell us little cousin" Kenji teased, "Our captain has been reminding us all week about how we need extra-practice"

"And now that Fabia here-" Kenta motioned to her with his head "Being our brand new Chaser, we're confident Jake will want to double the practice"

Runo had all forgotten about their upcoming match of Quidditch. With everything caught up, the practices had passed her by like water. And just a few weeks ago Fabia had been selected as their new Chaser, since their previous Chaser, Casey Miyasaka, had graduated last year. And so Jake Vallory, the team captain, made them go through a more vigorous training.

"Jake likes to go all out after all" Kenji brushed off his hair "Though I'm sure the match against Slytherin is going to be an easy one. The one I'm worried about is the one against Hufflepuff considering their captain is Joe Brown"

"Don't remind me." Dan pouted a bit, but tried to regain his upbeat attitude "I'm sure we can win against them if we come up with a new strategy for the match"

"I would love to agree with you cousin" Kenta tried to brush the brunette's hair, but Dan moved fast enough to dodge his hand "But Joe Brown is known for handling the Bludger extremely well, enough for them to get the hang of the game within the first minute"

"I didn't know he was in the Quidditch team" Runo wondered out loud "He seemed more inclined to be focused on his studies" The image of the sweet Hufflepuff boy made way into her mind. Never did she imagine that the boy would be associated with Quidditch or anything sports related.

"You know him?" Dan asked, brows furrowing slightly. Without her noticing, Kenta gave a slight nudge at his twin brother, the both of them wearing teasing smiles on their lips.

"I met him at the Owlery but we didn't talk much" She thought about telling them the fact that he might be Soichiro Hoshi's relative, but refrained from making a comment on it "He looked very invested in magical creatures though."

"I hear he's pretty handsome." Fabia said with a teasing smirk, nudging Runo with her elbow "So is he really Runo?" Runo's mouth was left agape but the blush over her cheeks was enough answer for her friend to lean back in her chair laughing. Chan Lee rolled her eyes, a dreamy look over them. Dan on the other hand seemed to slump back in his chair, looking quite annoyed.

"Seems like someone doesn't agree with that" Both of the twins got on each side of Dan and started to scramble his hair all over the place. The brunette tried to get them off, but was unable to do so. After they finished, Dan's hair looked like a lion's mane. Runo burst out laughing along with Fabia, both of them clutching their stomach. Chan Lee rolled her eyes at their immaturity, but smiled nonetheless.

"Not funny you two!" The brunette hollered after the Kuso Twins backed away from him. Before the rant could go on any longer, the door of the Common Room was slammed open, revealing a very agitated Professor Tigrerra. Everyone stopped their chatting as they looked back at the teacher, slightly confused at the outburst.

"Everyone gather your night robes, all students will sleep the night at the Great Hall! Quickly now, I'll escort you there along with the Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl" Tigrerra quickly gathered the representatives of Gryffindor as the multitude of students quickly went to snatch up their things.

Runo looked back at Tigrerra, wanting to know what was going on and what was the purpose for all of that, when a shriek of laughter came from the other side of the room. Suddenly the whole room shook and a loud crash was soon heard. Many students screamed as they fell down to the floor or gathered their things.

"Don't go outside until I come for you! Listen to your Prefects!" Tigrerra ran outside the room as the Head Boy and Girl followed after her. The Prefects stood guard by the door and motioned for everyone to calm down and gather their things. Everyone was nervously clenching their hands together, breathing quickly a look of fear and confusion across their eyes.

"Hey what is going on anyway?!" Billy Gilbert called out to the Prefects, and soon many students asked the same questions to them. No one seemed to know what was happening and nothing came to mind. Runo and Dan turned to each other still unsure of what to think about the whole situation.

She moved closer to him, her night robes and wand already in hand, as she took hold of the sleeve of his sweater. Dan's eyes widened with surprise but after a moment moved closer to her as well, keeping his eyes locked over to the Prefects.

"We have the right to now what is going on!" Kenji Kuso shouted over the protests from the crowd of students.

"Just tell us already!" Fabia exclaimed along with the crowd, many students looking at the Prefects with anger. The Prefects looked at each other for some sort of help when the door opened once again. Professor Kuso was the one who came inside the Common Room now.

"All right students, if you would follow me, I'll escort you to the Great Hall" He seemed to notice the tension around the room and showed his usual care-free smile "There's nothing to worry about, the castle is safe, we're just taking safety measures in case an accident occurs" Everyone looked at each other, still not satisfied with that answer.

"An accident is what you're calling it now Equus?" The voice of Cycloid suddenly interrupted the clamoring of the Gryffindor students. The poltergeist appeared right next to the fireplace, feet propped up and his arms crossed over his chest. "Now I'm sure that a staircase crashing into a wall would be called an accident if no one had provoked it"

"Cycloid!" Professor Shinjiro yelled at him, quite annoyed by the comment. But, the damage was already done, a gasp of surprise hung in the air and the whispers among the students commenced once more. Runo gripped tighter to Dan's sleeve as he clasped his hand over hers.

"I'm just telling the truth as it is" The creature said "The kids are already scared, might as well tell them straight away" He looked quite agitated on the matter but kept his composure. Professor Shinjiro was about to speak once more before Cycloid's mouth opened once again, a full smile on his lips "Listen up kiddos, someone broke into the castle!"

Nearly everyone gasped in surprise as they heard the creature. Professor Kuso scolded Cycloid once more but he paid him no mind. Runo exchanged a worried look between her best friend and they continued to look at the poltergeist.

"That someone tried to get inside Hufflepuff's Common Room but was sighted by a portrait ghost before _he_ could do anything" More murmurs circulated across the room as the talk went on. Runo really had a bad feeling about this and she could already predict who was the one who tried to sneak into the castle. And if her suspicions were true then it could only mean that _he_ was either looking for Joe or her.

"The man managed to slip out of Professor Drago's grasp before the dementors could come and managed to break off a staircase to use as distraction and escape" Her eye's widened as Cycloid concluded with his story, Shinjiro looking at him with fury in his eyes. "And just a little clue on who he is; Nasty temper he's got, that Soichiro Hoshi"

* * *

The Daily Prophet was in frenzy after the whole incident. Thousands of articles were published day after day about Soichiro Hoshi infiltrating Hogwarts. Owls came by each morning with dozens of letters from worried parents to their children regarding the safety issues in the castle. The professors looked more stressed and anxious by far and even more so the students felt nervous to walk alone in corridors.

Runo couldn't blame them though. Soichiro Hoshi had made a big mess once he swooped in the castle and destroyed two staircases along with a scared crowd of ghosts in his wake. The only one who seemed unaffected by it all was Cycloid, but after the spill he gave to the Gryffindor students he was locked up in Professor Wyvern's office once again.

Her friends seemed to get anxious as well. Alice along with Marucho tried to piece all together how in the world did the mass murderer manage to enter the castle without being noticed by either the enchantments of the school or by the dementors. Shun had been messaging his grandfather all week, whom had been trying to track down Hoshi all week but having no such luck. Julie had taken the toll of believing all of the predictions that Professor Angelo gave; While Dan opted to follow her to almost every place in the castle.

She tried to understand his reasoning. The fact that Soichiro Hoshi was after her was present in her mind constantly but the event of him helping her escape the orphanage was also bugging her. Dan along with his father kept a close eye over her, trying to protect her in their ways but it only helped her to get more irritated towards the situation.

Runo knew they were only worried about her and appreciated the thought, but she didn't felt that much of a threat after encountering the man. The same thought replayed in her mind; if Hoshi wanted to murder her he would've killed her back at the orphanage. Why prolong the action so much if he was so urgent to kill the one who defeated Naga?

But the doubt that he only helped her to gain a bit of her trust was also bugging her to no end. Maybe his plan all along was to get her to think that he was actually a safe person and let her guard down. Regardless of the outcome, Runo still couldn't land a concrete thought about Hoshi.

That along with the fact that he tried to budge his way into the Hufflepuff Common Room was also brought up recently. From the looks of it Joe Brown had been the one to notify the rest of his housemates about it once he noticed a peculiar lock in the door. Sure everyone assumed it was pure luck but Runo had her doubts about how Joe felt towards Hoshi. If I was true that they were both related, then did he want to meet up? Had they planned the whole thing together? She thought it was unlikely but didn't brush away the doubt of it.

Consumed by her thoughts the week passed by without her noticing and the date for the Quidditch game against Slytherin had arrived. It seemed to take a lot of convincing form both the Quidditch Captains to their respective teachers to let the Quidditch game proceed, since most of the professors had their doubts if the school was safe to uphold such event. But they deemed it necessary enough to let the students enjoy and leave the thoughts regarding Hoshi and instead focus on the event of the first Quidditch game of the season.

Cheers could be heard all throughout the field, while Runo's heart jumped with excitement. Fabia was beside her, completely amazed and nervous at the whole prospect of having her first official Quidditch game. Jake Vallory, their captain, talked the strategy to them over and over again, to either remind them or calm down his nerves. The rest of the team was as joyous and excited as ever, wanting nothing more to just go out and kick Slytherin's butt for one more time.

"Remember we will aim to block Keith Clay by all costs. He along with their Chaser, Volt Luster, can change the game in a matter of seconds." Jake Vallory continued to explain "Their pair of Beaters, Ren Krawler and Gunz Lazar, can handle the Bludger pretty well even though it's their first year of playing the two of them together. Aside from that their new Chaser, Nene Kaneda isn't much of a threat and their Seeker, Hydron Prince-" Groans left the mouths of both Dan and his cousins "-Is pretty easy to handle"

"I'll assume you'll take care of him, right Runo?" Taylor Harada, one of the Gryffindor Chasers nudged her with her elbow.

"You bet I will" Runo confidently smiled back at her, propping her broom up in her hands "Not a chance that git is getting the snitch before me"

"Way to go Runo!" Fabia excitedly slung her right arm over her neck and cheered loudly once again "Let's beat them!" Everyone else cheered along, the sound of the whistle catching their ears. With that the Gryffindor team all exited the locker rooms and entered the grassy field before them.

Heavy and dark clouds were covering up all of the sky and from the looks of it rain would pour down at any second now, but the climate wasn't going to damper their mood in any way. The stands were all full of students, each and every one of them cheering on for their respective teams. The teachers were all seated in their respective sides, each of them cautious for any disturbances that may happen.

"The first game of the Quidditch season is here!" Billy Gilbert's voice resonated through he whole field "Let's welcome our teams, Gryffindor and Slytheirn!" The cheers were deafening along with the distant thunder but Runo had never felt so pumped up in her life. The Slytherin team advanced to their respective positions, looking as prideful and confident as ever. Runo along with her teammates each took their respective positions before taking a big breath of air.

Professor Skyress appeared in the middle of the field, looking at each of them before nodding. The captains each stepped forward and shook hands. Keith Clay chuckled as Jake Vallory only sent him back a sneer.

"On my mark…" Once the whistle broke through the air, everyone kicked the ground and shot up to the sky. Runo felt her hands colder than ever, as the climate seemed to drop once they were flying. The Quaffle was already being tossed around form side of the field to the other. The first to catch it was Fabia, immediately followed by Volt Luster. Then came the Bludger as it tried to hit the blunette but it was shoved away thanks to Dan.

In between it all Runo tried to catch any glimpse of golden in the blur of red and green, but with no such luck. Hydron was carefully watching her but refrained from doing any comments. Another roar of cheers broke through.

"Slytherin scores!" Billy sounded a bit disappointed "Fabia Sheen has the Quaffle now, Keith Clay is closing in on her! Kenta Kuso throws the Bludger directly at him but oh! It gets intercepted by Gunz Lazar people!" More cheers and thunder were all over the place.

"Runo any luck yet?!" Jake Vallory shouted through the noise. His eyes kept shifting to one side of the field to the other. Nerves clear on his face.

"I don't see it!" She exclaimed in frustration. Droplets of water feel down from the sky, quickly soaking up all of their clothes and the field. Now the field of vision was even harsher than before. Runo couldn't distinguish between the field nor the Quidditch players. Her hear was hammering in her chest, eyes frantically searching for the Golden Snitch over the field.

"There goes Fabia Sheen once again followed on her right by Taylor Harada! Gunz Lazar intercepts Sheen but Harada has the Quaffle now and she scores!" A new wave of cheers and roars broke through the rain "The score is 50 in favor of Gryffindor against 60 in favor of Slytherin!"

"Runo keep your eyes open, we need to catch the snitch before Clay and Lazar take control of the Bludger!" Jake ordered her, blocking the oncoming Quaffle with ease. He threw it off once again, Kenji Kuso capturing it and flying towards Slytherin's post.

"I know that!" Runo yelled back in frustration and tried to find the golden flying ball, but with no luck. She quickly flew upwards trying to see the field better. The cold was harsher up there but now she could concentrate a bit more, her eyes shifting quickly. The rain was coming down harder at them and it was getting harder to even hear what was happening at the game. Hydron kept looking for one side to another but he had no luck as well.

Agitated she looked at every corner until a flash of lightning and a sight over the stands caught her eye. Nudged between the bars of the stands of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff she could see the very same grey hues that were back at the orphanage. A black wolf was crouching down the stands, grey eyes focused solely on her.

Her hands almost slipped off the handle, but she managed to balance herself before she fell. Shaking she lifted her eyes to wards the stands once more, but it seemed as if the wolf had disappeared from her sight. Rubbing her eyes she tried to look at the stands once more but the animal wasn't there.

"Runo!" The hysteric screams from Jake made her snap "Runo, focus on Hydron!" Quickly she spotted the blonde Slytherin flying upwards once again, a tiny spectacle of gold right in front of him. She pressed her whole body to the broom and zoomed towards him without hesitation. The wind and rain were coming down harsher than before, as she tried to distinguish between Hydron and the snitch.

"Faster!" She screamed at her own broom, pressing her body even more to the handle as she tried to catch up to the Slytherin. Thought before any of that happened, an eerie silence enveloped the game and a chilling cold started to prickle at her skin. With widened eyes she looked down.

Around a hundred hooded creatures were flying underneath her. Frost appeared over the handle of her broom as the dementors swooped in on her. Runo tried to dive down, out of their way but her body wasn't responding in the least. Her breath caught as she felt the world around her vanish and the voice of a woman resonated in her ears.

 _"Please not her! Don't kill her, please take me! Take me instead!"_

 _"Move stupid girl…move now"_

The pleadings from the woman made her heart ache like no other. A fog was clouding her vision as she tried to regain her process of thought. More screams and a maniac laughter filled her head. Runo only knew she was falling through the icy fog around her. Black enveloped her and she knew no more.

* * *

"I don't understand how this happened though"

"Wyvern was furious with the situation. All the teachers are…"

"Lucky Lazar managed to catch her. I was sure she would plummet to the ground"

Runo could hear familiar voices whispering all around her, but she couldn't piece the things together. She didn't have the faintest idea to where she was or what had happened, but an immense throbbing was circulating all throughout her body.

"I thought she was going to die"

That's when her memory snapped. The Quidditch field filled with dementors. With a shaky breath she managed to open her eyes, looking at the people around her. She could recognize the Hospital Wing along with the platter of the rain over the windows. The Gryffindor Quidditch team, full of mud from head to toe, were scattered all around her bed with the exception of Jake. Alice and Julie were seated on the bed next to hers, trying to calm down, while Shun and Marucho stood next to Dan, all of them soaked to the bone.

"Runo!" Taylor was next to her in a second. She looked quite pale, with mud over her hair as well "How are you feeling?" Runo was really tempted to tell the truth but she bit back her response. She winced a bit as she managed to sit up without throwing up. Everyone looked at her with widened eyes and shocked expressions.

"What happened?" Runo pressed her hand over her temples, trying to calm down the coming headache. The throbbing in her head was making it impossible for her to concentrate or even pay attention to them.

"You fell off your broom little miss" Kenji piped in, looking quite concerned as well "It must've been around fifty feet or so" Alice and Julie both moved over to her bed, eyes glistening as they saw her.

"Hydron fell off his broom too," Shun intervened, looking back at the back of the Hospital Wing. True enough in one of the beds far off from hers, there was Hydron Prince surrounded by the Slytherin Quidditch team "Apparently the dementors entered the Quidditch field thinking that Hoshi was around there"

It all came back so suddenly to her, the pool of dementors along with the creeping fear going down her spine. She shuddered at the thought, as she remembered falling through the mist. The voice of the same woman resonated in her ears, a terrible shudder going down her spine. Then the Quidditch game resurfaced in her memory.

"What happened with the game?"

"It was cancelled after you fell and Hydron was attacked by the dementors…" Fabia Sheen said, taking a couple of steps towards her "Prince did catch the snitch right at the moment when you fell, but both Keith Clay along with Joe Brown argued that we should have a rematch"

"What does Joe have to do in any of this?" Runo asked, looking quite shocked at the information.

"All of the Quidditch Team Captains gathered to discuss the situation along with Professor Skyress. And they decided it would be better if we have a rematch" Kenji explained, looking back at the Slytherin Quidditch team "Anyhow, you should concentrate on resting."

"Where is Jake?" Pinching the bridge between her nose she finally noticed that their team captain wasn't anywhere around. The team exchanged worried glances between each other before Taylor stepped in.

"Probably trying to drown in the shower" Taylor huffed angrily, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at the entrance of the Hospital Wing "Seriously all that guy ever thinks about is Quidditch, can't even compromise when one of the team is injured"

"Come on Taylor give the man a break" Kenta added but promptly shut his mouth once he noticed the glare that was coming his way "Anyway Runo don't beat yourself up, we still have a chance at the Quidditch Cup this year"

"Has she woken up yet?" A voice she didn't recognize asked. Looking up she was met with the face of a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He had mud smothered all over his clothes and face, but his violet eyes and spiky blonde hair managed to get her attention. He was quite taller and he looked a year older than her or so.

"She just came to Gunz" Shun answered for everyone. Dan sent the blonde a frown but kept silent at the whole ordeal.

"Oh thank Merlin" The blonde moved over closer to her and Runo suddenly felt really conscious about her state. Quickly straightening up a bit she tried to rub off the giant smudge of mud over her cheek but to no avail. The boy was next to her and showed her a grin "You were lucky I was so near you, if I weren't there you would've plummeted to the ground"

"Huh?" Runo wondered out loud.

"Just before you fell from your broom, Lazar here was the nearest of you" Kenta explained a bit of resentment and gratitude over his face "He managed to catch you before you crashed to the ground" Her eye's were big as plates. She looked back at the Slytherin, a blush dusting her cheeks at the situation.

"Oh, um-m thank-k you? I suppose-e?" Her voice came out a little hoarse making her even more embarrassed "How should I repay you?" Runo really didn't know how to respond to the new information. Her mind was still processing the whole thing when his laughter made her heart still for just a moment.

"Don't worry about it too much Misaki" He smiled brightly at her "Just keep an eye out for the dementors and we'll be fine" Not knowing what else to say she opted to just nod at his response. Her eyes were glued to him and she really felt at loss for words or what to say to him at all. What in the world was happening to her?

"Gunz come on we're going back to the common room." Keith Clay called to him, as he and the rest of his team exited the Hospital Wing with a very pale looking Hydron in their arms.

"Coming!" The boy passed a hand though his hair and turned to her once more "Gunz Lazar at your service. I'll see you around Misaki!" And with that the blond ran up to catch with the rest of his team. Runo must've looked quite wonderstruck because right after that Fabia started snickering along with Julie.

"Runo you're getting quite popular now aren't you?" The Gryffindor teased her, but Runo only tuned her out, still looking at the entrance of the Hospital Wing. Unnoticed by her, Dan had a grim expression over his face but made no comment on the matter.

"I think we should let you rest properly" Taylor smiled gently at her "Come one guys let's leave her in peace" With that the Gryffindor Quidditch team all said their goodbyes and well wishes to her and exited the Hospital Wing, leaving her with her group of friends.

"Wyvern was really angered by the situation." Alice said after a beat of silence, worry still over her eyes "It was unthinkable of her to look like that. She ran to the field and dispersed the dementors with a single spell"

"After Gunz caught you, and Hydron almost fell off she called off the game and took you both to the Hospital Wing" Julie explained, still a teasing smile over her lips "But aside from joking and all, it was really frightening…"

"We all thought you were…" Marucho spoke up now, lip biting in worry as a tense mood settled between all of them. Runo rubbed her forehead once more, as she recalled the encounter with the dementors once more. She looked up at her friends and seeing their expressions pained her immensely.

"I'm sorry. It's just- ugh" She apologized, not knowing what else to say at the situation. Then another thought crossed her mind "Did someone get my broom?" Her friends looked at each other before looking back at her. That would only mean bad news.

"It got blown away" It was the first time Dan spoke since she had woken up. Runo sent him a frown but the brunette focused his gaze on another place. She could feel something was bothering him, but felt like it wasn't the time to even ask about it.

"Well where did it get blown away?" She insisted.

"It hit the Whomping Willow Runo" Alice said in a sadder tone. Runo could only feel dread settling around her. The Whomping Willow was a well-known violent tree at Hogwarts. Usually anything that ended up near it would get beaten to pieces.

"Where is it?" Eyes glistening she asked.

"Me and Shun went to retrieve it before you came around" Dan said. He reached down under her bed and took out a white bag. Her heart broke as she saw the dozen bits of splintered wood inside the bag along with the pieces of twig all over it. Runo bit down on her lip as she took the bag in her hands and saw the remains of her beaten broomstick.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I took a bit longer to update than expected, sorry! My projects came coming down on me and I hadn't had that much time to even log in or even less to write but well that's besides the point! The chapters are getting a bit more intense (or at least that's my perception of it) and believe me when I say that things are starting to get a bit darker, more specifically for the next chapter.**

 **So Hoshi managed to infiltrate Hogwarts and caused a big ruckus in the process (no surprise there) and well Runo's broomstick is quite irreparable by now haha you get to see more of the Slytherin Quidditch team and well if you notice something else regarding that, hold on to that hahaha**

 **I'm two chapters ahead in this story but I still need to catch up with the other ones and as well type up the next chapter for this one, so I'll try to get it updated somewhere in the next month. I have a small break somewhere in between so I hope that I might be able to write more freely by then haha** **Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!**


	23. Third Year: Something Wicked

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **· Something Wicked This Way Comes**

The feeling of dread followed Runo pretty much everywhere she went. Elfin Rain had insisted on keeping her around for the whole weekend and she couldn't anything to argue back with her. The matron tried to throw away the remains of her Nimbus 2001 but she wouldn't let her. True, her broom was beyond repair and nothing would change it to the way it was before, but throwing it away felt like losing a precious memory to her heart.

Her friends visited at all hours during her stay at the Hospital Wing, Dan being beside her most of the time. They all brought her candies and the Gryffindor Quidditch Team even dropped by with a 'Get well!' card. Jake Vallory looked as she felt. Guiltiness overcoming inside her when he insisted that it wasn't her fault they didn't win. Even Gunz Lazar, Beater of the Slytherin team, had dropped by once again to give her a pack of Chocolate Frogs to wish her luck. She was a blushing mess after he came.

Tigrerra dropped by as well to keep her company at night and even helping her catch up to her homework in general. She looked quite sad as well as she noticed the beaten Nimbus 2001. It had been a gift from her back at Runo's Second Year, and the girl could only try to distract her teacher.

And then there were the dementors. The image of them all around her during the Quidditch match would make her jump out bed at night. Nightmares clouded her dreams and every time the dementors would appear out of thin air in them. She felt frustrated at her fear for them. It was true that dementors were foul creatures but no one had collapsed so far. Nor they have heard the dying words of their parents.

After such long nights at the Infirmary, she had finally recognized the owner of the voice that appeared whenever the dementors were around. It was her mother, seconds before Naga murdered her. It brought a sick feeling to her stomach that she couldn't phantom and made her lay awake at night. The words kept replaying in her mind like a record along with Naga's laughter. She hadn't told anyone at that point, but she hoped for the busy mornings at Hogwarts once more.

When Monday rolled around, she was grateful she could avoid the problem for a bit longer, even if it meant having to deal with Hydron's bullying. Anytime they crossed paths he would imitate her falling off the broom. Runo tuned him out completely, remembering that he almost fell off his broom as well, but didn't mention it. She felt completely beaten down, large dark circles under her eyes and her messy hair along with her mismatched uniform was proof of it.

"Come on Runo, lighten up okay?" Alice tried cheering her up at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Marucho gave her a fervent nod as well, and Dan gave her a light pat in the back. Divination had been the first class of the day and it had been harder to uphold now. Professor Angelo Diablo had predicted once again she would die in somewhere between May, and claiming he had sighed her falling at the Quidditch game. Not something she needed to be reminded of.

DATDA's class was a sun among a gray sky. Professor Drago had made the class livelier by bringing a glass box containing a hinkypunk. It was a one-legged creature made out of wisps of smoke. It looked quite harmless but released some really loud pitches whenever it was bothered or angry. Besides that Professor Drago had assigned them all to investigate the creature and further on their knowledge about it.

"I'm okay really guys, let's keep working on the parchment" She tried brushing them off away but once those words left her mouth, Dan snatched the parchment out of her hands. Runo was about to protests but noticed the deep frown her friend was giving her, only causing her anger to fuel up more "Give me back the parchment idiot"

"Not until you actually listen kid" The brunette insisted "You're acting the same as always, claiming to be fine when you're clearly not" Runo managed to grab hold of her papers and snatch them away from his hands "Come on we're going to have a rematch with Slytherin if that's what you're worried about"

"It's not that Dan." The image of the black wolf appeared on her mind, along with the dementors and her parents. She hadn't told any of them about those facts. They wouldn't understand the situation completely. And she didn't need the assumptions of both Julie and Dan following her around everywhere. Pushing away her bangs she kept on writing on the parchment.

"Runo is there something you want to tell us?" Soichiro Hoshi popped up in her head once the question left Alice's mouth. She pushed her lips together, agreeing on not telling them about such events for the moment.

"Not at all" She answered just as the rest of the class started to pack their things, leaving their assigned seats. Runo didn't hesitate one bit as she stuffed the parchment into her bag, along with her books. She noticed the look of worry her friends exchanged between each other but kept her mouth shut. Before she could leave her desk Professor Drago had called her out.

"Runo could you wait a moment?" Professor Drago had a serious expression on his face that she couldn't exactly ignore.

"We can wait for you outside" Marucho suggested, a hopeful smile by his lips. Alice and Dan both looked at her with expectant eyes, but she ended up shaking her head.

"Don't worry you can go ahead" She turned towards the professor without a doubt, her friends clearly not liking her response. Soon after that the three of them exited the room, leaving it with only Professor Drago and her.

With a gulp the girl approached him, clinging tightly to her bag, clearly expecting the worst. The professor let out a chuckle "Worry not, I'm not her to scold you or anything, just passing on a message" She let out a sigh of relief "Professor Shinjiro wants to talk with you but he's been rather busy with grading parchments for Muggle Studies. You may want to drop by his office somewhere around today"

"Will do Professor Drago." Whenever she had a talk with the professor she couldn't help but to get quite nervous, feeling as if she had done something wrong to upset him.

"I heard about the game as well" The professor crossed his arms over his chest, looking quite pissed at the topic "Worry not, Professor Wyvern already unleashed her fury with the ministry, I'm sure the dementors won't bother us more. Shame they had to interrupt such a good game"

"Yeah well there's nothing we can do about it now I suppose" She commented, the guiltiness of not catching the snitch sooner clearly upsetting her.

"That's quitter talk Miss Runo" Professor Drago chuckled, looking more fired up and encouraged than ever before "And I'm sure the Gryffindor Quidditch Team can rise to the top. Or am I wrong?" That left a small smile over her lips as the professor chuckled once again "Just make sure to beat Slytherin's team, Professor Skyress has been ranting non-stop at how their team is going to win this season"

"I'll tell Jake that we should start practicing right away then" Runo exchanged a smile with the professor before biding him goodbye. Closing the door of the classroom, she went right in the direction of Mr. Kuso's office, her mind wondering why did he want to talk to her so early in the week? Shrugging off the doubts, she passed by the Gryffindor Common Room and turned left into an empty hallway. Just at the end of it, there was the door that connected the castle to Mr. Kuso's office.

Without hesitation she knocked on the door, hearing right away a 'Coming!' followed by a series of loud thuds from the other side of the door. She was sure that Shinjiro had crashed onto a stack of books on his way to the door. But before she could call out to him, the door opened, revealing a very agitated looking professor.

Professor Shinjiro had his hair disheveled, along with his necktie somewhere around his shirt. His glasses were on top of his head and she could see a tired look over them. Once he noticed she was standing at the door he immediately perked up, a big smile appearing over his lips as he opened the door to his office big and wide.

"Runo how good of you to come! I had sent a message to Professor Drago but I wasn't sure if he had told you the message, anyway come on in!" Professor Shinjiro moved to the side and Runo walked into his office. It had a big wide ceiling along with a small chandelier on the center. A desk with two shelves was at the side along with a small fireplace, accompanied by a rug spread in front of it and a closet near it. Runo could see some of his trinkets from home along with a small jar with Floo Powder right on top of the fireplace. Other than that the desk was full of papers and ink thrown around everywhere. She even caught eye of a wanted poster of Soichiro Hoshi along with the paper of The Daily Prophet. Now she knew why Dan was always so messy with his homework.

"Professor Drago commented that you wanted to talk with me?" Runo turned to him, curiosity showing in her eyes "But he didn't mention about what it was or the like"

"Yeah I've been meaning to talk to you since the game last weekend but as you can see I've been busy" He chuckled a bit "Do you want tea? I have some cookies Miyuki gave me yesterday, you might want some" Before she could refuse, a bowl of sugar coated cookies was in her hands. Shinjiro gave her an amused look as she immediately perked up after eating just one.

"How is she? I heard from Dan that your garden had been invaded by gnomes?" She ate another cookie, completely overwhelmed by their sweet scent and taste. Dan's mother was really the best cook she knew.

"Well I go to our house during night only, so she's been kind of lonely, but Topaz is always with her so I don't worry that much" Topaz was the pet of their family, quite the clumsy owl but loyal like no other "The garden has been nuts. Those gnomes have dug their house very far deep in the ground so it has been quite task to get them out" Shinjiro took a cookie from the bowl, a bright smile over his face "But that's not what I called you her for. I saw the game last weekend. I'm really sorry about your broom, is there a way to fix it?"

"No, as much as I wanted to" She said "The Whomping Willow smashed it to bits"

"How unfortunate" Professor Shinjiro grimaced "The Whomping Willow has been here even before I was at Hogwarts. A nasty tree of that I'm sure, but a lot of students seem to think it's funny to bother it" He shrugged "Not my thing. But that's not why I called you here, Dan told me you've been down after another encounter with the dementors."

Runo's wide eyes gave her away at that moment. She had to bit her lip from starting her rambling about how much she despised those creatures. Professor Shinjiro gave a look quite similar to the one Dan gave her whenever he wanted to know something. She placed the bowl of cookies on the desk, considering her words.

"It's just…" She was having difficulty with her words "I don't understand why the dementors affect me so much. Am I that vulnerable? I mean no one faints when they see them! And I'm sure no one falls of their broom from just looking at them!" That had slipped past her mouth.

"Runo it has nothing to do with being vulnerable, trust me" The professor spoke with a gentle tone of voice "Dementors are foul creatures, among the most terrible ones across the magical world. They glory in despair and sadness and they drain all happy thoughts inside ourselves. They take away peace, hope and happiness all around them. Even Muggles feel them near, though they can't see them." He explained with a slight pain in his voice "If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to extinguish all of your happy memories and will reduce you to something like them, a creature without a soul."

"The reason you get so affected by them Runo is because you've lived the worse experiences any of us could ever think of. It is enough for anyone to faint at their sight. You have nothing to feel ashamed of."

Professor Shinjiro was looking at her with a soft smile and Runo could only feel grateful for it. A tight knot was at her throat as she tried to get the words out. She supposed she felt a bit better after their talk but it wasn't enough for her.

"When I faint around the dementors" She felt her eyes glistening "I hear Naga murdering my mom"

Shinjiro's eyes went wide as he looked at her. He looked struck after she uttered the sentence. He made a motion as if to hug her, but thought better of it. The professor gripped harder onto the desk's surface. A moment of silence passed between the two of them, one filled with sadness.

"Azkaban must be terrible with them around" She said.

"It is" Mr. Kuso affirmed, starting to arrange the ton of stranded papers at his desk "The fortress is at a tiny island, far away in the sea, but that's enough to keep the prisoners in. After all with such foul guards, they go mad in a short span of time. Every happy thought sucked out from them"

"But Soichiro Hoshi managed to escape…" Runo pondered on it. Shinjiro accidentally dropped a stack of papers he was just holding. He quickly bent down to pick them up, quite shaky in her opinion.

"Well Hoshi somehow managed to fight them I suppose" He let out a nervous chuckle, straightening up once more "It's still an impressive act. Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard's power if he is left with them for such a long time"

Runo turned to look at the professor, her mind whirring. Shinjiro seemed to be more alert now than in their previous topic of conversation, but she didn't comment on it. He finished accommodating his papers and placed them neatly over his desk, a satisfied smile over his lips. An idea popped up in her head.

"You made the dementor at the train go away…" She said.

"Well, er—" He nervously scrambled his hair "There are certain spells one can use against the dementors. Though it's a very skilled and advanced technique" He sent her a nervous chuckle "Besides I only made one back off. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to cast it"

"Can you teach it to me?" She said with determination. Shinjiro almost choked on another cookie. He turned to her, almost asking her if she had gone mad after her fall. Runo's face was full of determination. If there were a way for her to stop hearing her mother's pleading she would take it. She had to prove herself somehow.

"Well I-I'm not an expert on taking out dementors Runo" The professor shifted his eyes nervously across the office "This is something you should request Professor Drago instead of me."

"Professor Drago would refuse the offer without hesitation" She argued "I know I'm asking a bit much but I need to be prepared in case the dementors come to another Quidditch practice or are roaming around the school"

Professor Shinjiro pondered on the thought, looking at her with indecision. He shifted his eyes to the wanted poster of Hoshi and sighed. He adjusted his glasses and offered a small smile.

"I suppose I could teach you a thing or two then" Runo's lips turned into the biggest smile "But you'll have to wait after the Holidays. There are matters I need to discuss with the Ministry and I'm sure Miyuki would want us to visit her family in Bulgaria. So after we come back, I'll tutor you"

"Thank you very much!" She even bowed down in gratitude. The man's face flared up in embarrassment, clearly not wanting it to become a bigger deal than what it was. "Well I have to go to dinner, I'll see you later Mr. Kuso!" He was about to protest at the call of his name, but Runo didn't hear the end of it. She instantly bolted out his office, quickly running towards the Great Hall, her mood shifting completely now. She would master whatever spell came at her way without a single doubt.

* * *

It was a matter of time before her mood was down once again. Christmas was approaching and students were already leaving to go back to their respective homes. Her friends had insisted on staying back at the school, each one of them claiming that they needed to catch up with their studies, but Runo knew that they were staying because of her. For that she was eternally grateful.

Tigrerra had the Christmas spirit all around her as she decorated her Transfiguration classroom in a light blue snowy environment. It looked quite beautiful in her eyes. Snow kept on pilling up on the school grounds, making quite difficult for anyone to move from one side to the other.

On the other hand, another trip to Hogsmeade had been scheduled just a week before the holidays and she felt an enormous wave of disappointment. She tried to ignore the slight punch in the gut as she found herself left out of the whole excitement.

"I'm going to do the Christmas shopping there!" Julie claimed with excitement "I'm sure Daisy will love those jade earrings I found a way back!"

"Mom and dad have been asking me non-stop to send them a full box of Sugar Quills" Marucho commented with a small smile "Maybe I'll buy a box for myself too!"

With a sigh Runo bid her goodbye to her group of friends as they went on their way towards Hogsmeade. They were all huddled together, wrapped in their robes and scarves of their respective houses. The jealousy was still there but she tried to ignore it for a time. She looked up at the sky, watching as a few snowflakes dropped down to the snowy ground and tried to ease herself. She had to look up for a new broom since the ancient Shooting Star she was using at practice wasn't helping her at all.

"Hey! Runo!"

She turned around, spotting Kenji and Kenta both looking right at her, behind the statue of a one-eyed witch. She frowned, clearly not understanding all of the secrecy, but approached them anyways. The twins quickly took hold of her hands and practically dragged her to the nearest classroom. Before she could even protest, she was already in the room with the two of them.

"What was that all about?" She complained, but stopped once she noticed the playful grins over their mouths "What? I thought you were going to Hogsmeade"

"Oh we are, but first we wanted to give you an early Christmas present from yours truly" Kenji had a big smile over his face. He moved to the side as Kenta approached the girl, something tucked into the back of his hand "If you may brother"

"Merry Christmas Runo" Kenta extended over his hand to her, doing it with much drama and grace. A frown appeared on her face as she took hold of the item they were giving her. It was a dirty old parchment. She gave them a bored look, completely believing it was a joke, but the smiles they were wearing were confident.

"Um thanks? I appreciate the gesture…" She said, quite unsure of herself. Turning it over, the page was still blank and her mind wondered what was she going to do with an old piece of parchment? "I'm sorry but what I'm supposed to do with this? It's just a worn out parchment"

"Worn out parchment?!" The twins exclaimed together with surprise as if they couldn't believe their ears. Runo looked quite surprised, clearly not getting the commotion. Kenji sighed and took the parchment from her hands and laid it out in a nearby desk for her. He motioned for her to come closer.

"This has been the secret of our success Runo, not just an old parchment thank you very much" Kenji looked exasperated as he turned to his brother "Explain Kenta."

"You see Runo, back when we were at out first year – young and innocent of course –" She had to snort to keep in the laughter from bubbling "We were at Dan's house for a family visit. We were trying to play a prank on our little cousin and in a heap of things ended up in their old attic"

"How did you exactly end up there? The stairs are practically in the middle of the second floor?" She wondered. Back at her Second Year when she crashed at Dan's place for the rest of their summer vacation, she remembered seeing the attic but never going inside of it.

"Well we were trying to go unspotted by our mother" Kenji laughed nervously "And the only escape route was the attic"

"Anyhow, we end up in the attic and it was filled with boxes and really old stuff; thousand of picture books and what not. We were looking for something to use against Dan, but our mother found us earlier than that." Runo had a grin on her lips already "So in the burst of the moment I took the first thing I saw, before our mom dragged us to hell" The twins shared a devilish grin.

"And now we give it to you" Kenji took out his wand and tapped the parchment "But first we're going to teach you how to work this beauty." He gave the parchment a few taps before reciting: " _I solemnly swear I am up to no good._ "

Right before her eyes, thin treads of ink started decorating the whole piece of parchment. The whole paper started forming letters and spider-webs together as they traveled from one side to the other. At the center of the page there were bold, cursive letters that read:

 _Messrs. Equus, Romulus, Falco and Bengal_

 _Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present_

 _THE BRAWLER'S MAP_

It was a map that showed every detail of the Hogwart's castle and it's grounds. Footprints of people roaming the castle were imprinted as well. Professor Wyvern was pacing around her office; Elfin Rain, the matron of Hogwarts was hanging out by the greenhouses along with Professor Preyas, Teacher of Herbology; Cyclioid, the poltergeist was floating around Professor Shinjiro's office. Runo was astounded. The map even showed passages she had never seen, that led to different parts of the castle. With a thundering heart she recognized some of them lead straight into-

"Hogsmeade" Kenta grinned widely at her "There are eight in total that lead into Hogsmeade. Professor Ingram knows about these five and he usually does rounds whenever there's a visit. The one in the fourth floor is caved in don't even bother. There's one entrance right below the Whomping Willow, so don't even try. Use this one-" He pointed at a corridor that seemed to have a statue right next to it, not too far from were they where "-It leads straight into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it thousands of times, try it"

"We owe these guys very much" Kenji tapped the front of the map once again "Equus, Romulus, Falco and Bengal left us a legacy to help a new generation of lawbreakers"

"After you've finished using it, don't forget to wipe it" Kenta warned her "Just tap it with your wand again and say ' _Mischief Managed_ ' and it'll go blank once more"

"And with that dear Runo," Kenji and Kenta both saluted her, evil grins over their lips "We bid you goodbye. See you in Honeydukes!" Just as fast as they had come in, they both dashed out the door.

Runo looked back at the map, completely astounded at the sudden turn of events. She carefully took in in her hands, a grin already over her face. If the tunnel went through Hogwarts then she wouldn't have to deal with the dementors. But with a sudden thought she stopped in her tracks.

Last year Shun had trusted a diary that wrote for itself and it turned out to be one of the most disastrous things ever. What if the map was the same case? She bit down on her lip. Mr. Kuso had been keeping it in his attic and the twins had been using it for some time now. After all she would only use it to get into Hogsmeade and nothing far from that.

She exited the room and looked back down at the map. A new set of footprints appeared with her name on it. Releasing a shaky laugh, she immediately ran towards the entrance of the passage. A few turns in between corridors she noticed the strange statue. It was of some sort of vulture, hunched back and with it's left eye popping out. Halting right in front of the statue, she looked back down at the map, a little speech bubble appeared next to it. ' _Dissendum_ ' it read.

 _"Dissendum!"_ Runo tapped the statue with her wand and recited. Suddenly the statue moved just the slightest, enough space to let a person inside. She looked at the empty corridor and with no hesitation entered the passage. It was pitch black as the statue closed before her.

 _"Lumos!"_ The tip of her wand illuminated and she could see a set of stairs leading down to a very damp passage. Quickly looking back at the map, she felt the impulse of giving it a kiss but thought of it better " _Mischief Managed!_ " In an instant the ink had vanished and it went back to being a normal old parchment. Tucking the map inside of her robes, she adjusted her Gryffindor scarf once more and set off.

The passage twisted and turned similar to a rabbit's burrow more than anything else. Runo trying to keep pace, careful to not stumble down, held her wand in front of her. Panting and face very hot, she kept on going, the thought of going to Honeydukes keeping her up. The passage started to rise and with a grin, she fastened the pace. It felt like it had been more than an hour or so, as she finally came face to face with a set of worn stone steps.

Quickly she pushed her hair back and started climbing. The steps seemed to go on for an eternity but Runo could care less about it. She kept going up and up until her head collided with something hard. Wincing from the pain, Runo rubbed the spot of her head as she tried to see.

It seemed to be some sort of trapdoor. She carefully tried to listen for any strange noises but it was silent. Very carefully, she pushed the door open and peered inside the room. In front of her there was a cellar, filled to the brim with boxes and inventory. She carefully slid out of the passage and closed the trapdoor.

Now she definitely heard something; the sounds of footsteps along with a merrily song playing upstairs; the lively chattering filling up the room; the bell of a door opening and closing. Grinning she moved behind a crate as a door opened quite close to her.

"-Get a box of Jelly Slugs and Sugar Quills dear! Oh and Cauldron Cakes as well, they've nearly wiped out!" The voice of a woman rang upstairs. Carefully she peered outside of her hiding place and saw the back of a man going through enormous crates. She looked back at the entrance and carefully slipped past it. Runo climbed the stairs and quickly found herself behind the counter of Honeydukes. She crawled sideways and finally stood up.

The shop was to the brim with Hogwarts students that no one seemed to notice Runo. She quickly moved to the side, straightening up her scarf and blending in with the rest of the students. Suppressing a laugh she looked at the store with sparkle in her eyes.

Rows and rows of shelves filled with the most delicious and succulent-looking sweets were at Honeydukes. Pixies Puffs were flooding a whole corner along with creamy chunks of Nougat; an enormous barrel of Every Flavor Beans; Exclusive Edition of Chocolate Frogs from Wizard's from the whole world; Vases filled with chunks of Crystallized Pineapples; Boxes upon boxes of Liquorice Wands and Chocolate Wands.

Runo felt like she was floating on a candy paradise. She managed to squeeze herself out of a crowd of Fifth Years as she recognized a certain platinum ponytail. Recognizing her friends, they were standing right next to a shelf with bottles of Toothflossing Stringmints, Ice Mice and a thousand more. Dan was holding a vase filled with Exploding Bonbons, Shun at his side eating a piece of Chocolate Wand; Marucho had the Sugar Quills his family had requested along with Julie holding up a very extravagant Cauldron Cake in her hands; while Alice held a box of Glacial Snow Flakes and another of Pumpkin Pasties, looking quite lost.

"I don't think Runo will like any of these" The redhead commented, looking quite defeated "But I don't think Nougats will suit her taste as well"

"I say we bring her the two boxes!" Dan said with a smile "Besides she still has a ton of Liquorice Wands back at her room"

"She will get cavities from so much candy idiot" Shun explained dryly, earning quite the glare from the brunette.

"Then how about these?" Julie shoved a jar of Blood-flavored Lollipops right in front of them.

"Yeah definitely not those" Runo had finally sneaked up on them. The Hufflepuff nearly dropped the jar.

"Runo!" Alice exclaimed, looking quite shaken up "How did you-? What are you doing here? We-We thought you were back at Hogwarts!" Marucho next to her nodded along.

"You learned to Apparate!" Dan exclaimed with surprise, an even bigger grin now.

"That's until Sixth Year stupid." Shun added. Runo laughed and closed in on them, careful not to exclaim the existence of the map. Once she finished Dan looked quite offended, while the rest looked surprised.

"Why did those two never gave it to me?! I'm their cousin! It was in my attic!" He exclaimed with indignation. Shun only rolled his eyes at his remarks.

"But Runo is going to return it right?" Alice turned to her looking as if the idea of keeping it was illegal "You're going to hand it over to Professor Drago, right? Maybe even to my grandfather?"

"You're crazy if you think I'm giving this back" Runo grinned, as Alice's face fell "Come on Alice I'll have to say where did Kenta and Kenji got it!"

"But how are you sure that Hoshi isn't using those passages!" She hissed back, completely shaken up, even startling Marucho "The teachers have to know about them!" Julie looked between the two of them, quite unsure of what to say in the matter.

"He can't go through those passages" Runo argued back "Look there's a total of eight passages and Professor Ingram knows about five of them. The other three, one is beneath the Whomping Willow, the other is completely caved in and well-" She looked back at the place she had come in "-The one I used is really cramped and completely pitch black"

But even though the words of the red head rang in her head. What if Soichiro Hoshi did know about those passages beforehand? She bit on her lip, hoping that her thoughts were completely wrong. Then out of nowhere Marucho's shaky hand pointed towards the glass door of Honeydukes. Everyone turned to read the paper pasted in front.

\- ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC -

Customers and shoppers are reminded that until further notice, dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This is an extreme measure to help the residents of Hogsmeade feel safe in their homes and will be gone after the recapture of Soichiro Hoshi. It is advisable to do your shopping before nightfall.

Merry Christmas!

"There you have it Alice!" Dan said with glee "I don't think Hoshi will be running around the streets with the dementors on his tail. Besides the owners would hear of a break in, wouldn't they?"

"But-" The Ravenclaw looked between the two, completely lost at what to say or do "-You don't have a signed form! What happens if Hoshi turns up today? Right now?!"

"He'll have a really hard time finding Runo in this" Dan grinned as he motioned for the heavy snow that was falling outside, along with the huge crowd of Hogwarts students "Come on Alice, our Runo here-" He moved over to where she was standing and patted her on the head "-Deserves a break, don't you think?"

"Are you going to report me?" Runo asked her friend, a grin already over her lips. Julie finally joined in as well.

"I'm sure it won't hurt for Runo to see Hogsmeade!" She cheered, "Let's go over to Zonko's before she changes her mind!"

"Runo of course I won't do that- but honestly-" Alice looked completely bewildered, but gave up at trying to change their minds.

"I think it'll be better to let this one go" Shun commented at her, displaying the smallest smile over his lips. Marucho broke off in a grin as well, as everyone gathered around Runo and showered her with candy. Runo's grin was starting to hurt her cheeks as Dan told her another joke as the rest of them paid for their candy.

They all exited Honeydukes and where met with a heavy pile of snow all over town. Hogsmeade looked like a town from out a Christmas book. It had small cottages all over the place, with their brown and black roofs with a dusting of snow. Enchanted candles were hanging up at the pine trees, lighting up the way.

Runo held tighter her cloak around her as they moved around the snow. Her hands were freezing cold even though they have been out in the snow for a few minutes. Besides her Marucho was shaking from head to toe, covering all of his face with his Ravenclaw scarf.

"You know what, let's head to the Three Broomsticks!" Dan shouted over his shoulder and everyone was more than willing to do so. They six of them quickly crossed the street and in a few minutes they were inside a tiny inn. The warmth enveloped Runo in seconds, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she adjusted her hair.

It was a small cozy inn filled with circular wooden tables and chairs. Lamps of different kinds and sizes were hanging from the ceiling, lighting up the whole room. The place was crowded with chattering coming from all the places, as people went from one side to the other.

"Go find a table, Shun and I will get the drinks!" Dan shouted among the noise, taking the Slytherin with him. Julie quickly moved towards the tables, swiftly taking one as the rest trotted after her. Runo finally seated herself, looking completely mesmerized at the place. They were seated at the back of the room, a Christmas tree at their side and a warm fireplace at the far end corner.

"Look over there!" Julie pointed at a woman behind the counter. It was a woman with dark auburn hair, pulled into a neat, bun. She had an extravagant red lipstick over her lips along with a dashing green shade over her eyes. The woman looked in her fifties, dressed in a typical Taiwanese dress as she served the drinks "That's Madam Li, she's the owner of the Three Bromsticks! She's been here way before my sister was studying"

"Merry Christmas!" Dan and Shun appeared five minutes later, with six tankards of hot butterbeer. With a clank everyone happily drank the liquid. Runo let out a breathy laugh, the butterbeer heating her in an instant. She couldn't help but to keep drinking. Everyone laughed and cheered and somewhere in between a song broke through the whole tavern.

 _Double, double, toil and trouble;_

 _Fire burn and_ _cauldron_ _bubble._

Runo couldn't help but to laugh as she watched both Julie and Dan signing along the tune with the rest of the people inside the tavern. Shun rolled his eyes in exasperation and exchanged a look with Alice before the two of them continued to sip on their butterbeer. Marucho looked quite lost in the crowd, until he spotted someone.

"What is the Minister of Magic doing here?" The blond asked. Runo looked over to where the Ravenclaw was looking and she almost fell from the chair. At the other side of the counter was Tigrerra along with Professor Preyas and the Minister of Magic. The thought of the professor's coming to the Three Broomsticks didn't even cross her mind. Quickly the girl knelt in the floor, avoiding the people walking from one side to the other. Her friends were too engrossed in the song that the only who noticed was Marucho.

"I'm going to go hide!" She whispered to him. The blond gave her a fervent nod and with that she kept on crawling. The people seemed to get livelier, as more tankards of butterbeer appeared out of nowhere. Cheers erupted across the room and Runo quickly found a hiding spot behind a wooden column.

 _Double, double, toil and trouble_

 _Something wicked this way comes!_

"Madam Li what a pleasure to see you!" The voice of the minister broke through and Runo cursed in her mind. Taking a peek behind her hiding place she noticed the teachers along with the minister seating far too close to her liking. She bit on her lip, kneeling once again, hoping they wouldn't see her now. More people crowded the place and she was unable to move from her spot.

"Oh minister what a lovely visit" Madam Li spoke with a thick accent. She sounded quite unhappy at the man, as a few set of words came out in a foreign language, probably in Taiwanese "The dementors have searched the town twice! I've been loosing my customers! Bad for my business!" Another string of words left her mouth, along with the laughter from Professor Preyas.

"I'm quite sorry my dear" The minister sounded quite agitated "But you know Hoshi is still on the loose, I can't make them leave until Hoshi get's captured" He let out a sigh "You heard what happened back at Hogwarts and Wyvern's been against having them in the school grounds"

"How are we supposed to teach with those horrible things floating around!" Tigrerra said back with a sharp voice, clearly not backing down "The dementors attacked our students back at a Quidditch game, and you want us to let them inside?"

"Not to mention they've been frosting my gardens all over again…" Professor Preyas whined.

"Anyhow…" The minister sounded quite tired "They are there to protect you from Hoshi, and you all know what the man is capable of…" Runo tried to take a peek at them but more people seemed to chant the song over and over again. It was getting hard to move around or to even hear.

 _Eye of newt_ _and_ _toe of frog_ _,_

 _Wool of bat_ _and_ _tongue of dog_ _,_

"I still have trouble believing it" Madam Li lamented, "Soichiro Hoshi was the last person I thought to go over with You-Know-Who. I still remember him as a boy, running around the tavern"

"Oh and that isn't even the worst my dear" The minister gulped, patting what seemed to be a chair next to them "Take a seat, you're going to need it" Without hesitation the woman seated herself, now a clear face of worry over her face. A strange feeling was settling in Runo's stomach as she continued to hear.

"Something worse than murdering all those poor people thirteen years ago?" Madam Li asked in astonishment "I can't believe that, what could be worse than that?"

"Well you say you remember him from a boy at Hogwarts" Tigrerra said with grimace "I still remember being a Seventh Year while he was just a First Year though. Anyhow, do you remember his best friend?"

"Obviously I do my dear" Madam Li laughed, "Never saw one without the other. They used to make me laugh so much!" The woman had a bittersweet smile over her lips, as if lamenting herself "Quite the pair those two, Soichiro Hoshi and Tatsuo Misaki"

Runo's eyes went wide as plates, her back colliding with the column behind her. Her heart started to pound even harder than before. She carefully slid further down the floor, craning down her neck to take a look at them. What in the world were they talking about? Her father and Hoshi had been best friends?

 _Adder's fork_ _and_ _blind-worm's sting_ _,_

 _Lizard's leg_ _and_ _howlet's wing_

"Those two were quite the troublemakers I tell you" Tigrerra chuckled a bit "Even back at their First Year those two were very bright but made the teacher's go mad. Wyvern had to intervene most of the time"

"Kenta and Keiji Kuso cause a lot of ruckus as well!" Professor Preyas added, "Though you could say that Hoshi and Misaki looked like brothers next to each other!" He laughed quite comically, but his expression turned sour after that "Inseparable those two"

"Tatsuo Misaki trusted Hoshi with his life. Not even after they left school did that change. Tatsuo was best man when Hoshi wed Sakura Brown and became godfather of their child. And vice-versa, Hoshi was the best man at his best friend's wedding and he was even named godfather of Runo!" Her eyes widened "Of course she doesn't know about it, the idea would torment her for the end of time"

Soichiro Hoshi was her godfather? Runo was quite tempted to go out and ask the questions to them. How much were they keeping from her? The man had saved her back at the orphanage and was her godfather. But the ideas in her head kept mixing up. Hoshi was a follower of Naga, did that mean that he knew about her parent's murder? What in the world was going on?

"Of course she mustn't know! Hoshi was a follower of You-Know-Who, just the thought of it makes me cry" Madam Li cried out, the song completely blocking out her words. The expression over the minister's face was even grimmer than before and something was hammering inside her chest. Something terrible was going on, and she didn't like the thought of it.

"My dear it was worse…" The minister passed a hand through his hair and leaned even closer towards Madam Li "A few people know about this, but Wyvern was the one who alerted the Misaki's that You-Know-Who was after them. And as you might recall, hiding from You-Know-Who wasn't an easy task, so Wyvern advised them to use the Fidelius Charm."

 _Double, double, toil and trouble;_

 _Fire burn and cauldron bubble._

"The Fidelius Charm is an incredible complex spell" Tigrerra started explaining, "It involves the concealment of the secret into a living soul. The information is hidden within the Secret Keeper and is impossible to find, unless the person chooses to divulge it. You-Know-Who could've looked for Tatsuo and Saki for years and never find them if the Fidelius Charm remained intact"

"You don't mean to tell me…" Madam Li whispered, "Hoshi was the Misaki's Secret Keeper" The grim expression over Tigrerra was the answer. So that could only mean one thing…

"Tatsuo trusted Hoshi with his life, he insisted to Wyvern that he would die before divulging their whereabouts. But Wyvern was still suspecting something was up. I remember her discussing with Drago for days about her offering to be the Misaki's Secret Keeper." Tigrerra crossed her arms over her chest, taking a sip from her butterbeer.

"She suspected Soichiro was a traitor?"

"Wyvern insisted that there was a traitor among the Resistance" The Transfiguration Professor said "Someone was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who about our whereabouts and plans. But Tastuo insisted on using Hoshi"

"And just a week after the Fidelius Charm was performed the Misaki's were killed, along with another friend of theirs Haruto Kazami" The minister grumbled, "He betrayed them. Hoshi was tired of the double agent act and decided to spill everything to You-Know-Who. But we all know how that turned out. Runo defeated You-Know-Who and the only thing he could do was to hide"

"I met him." Professor Preyas added with a solemn voice, catching everyone by surprise "Wyvern alerted me when the Misaki's were killed and I went to their house right away, but before that Hoshi intercepted me. He was shaking from head to toe, wanting to take Runo in his care. He kept saying that he was her godfather. I bid him away since he had to take care of his own family at the time" His hands were clenched in tight fists "I had no idea he had been the Secret Keeper nor that he was with You-Know-Who"

 _Double, double, toil and trouble_

 _Something wicked this way comes!_

"But the ministry caught up with Hoshi the next day!" Madam Li exclaimed, completely overwhelmed by the amount of information.

"It was only thanks to Tatsuo's little brother that we caught up to him" William Etienne added with bitterness "Poor thing was only seventeen years old. Completely stricken with grief and revenge, he went after Hoshi himself. Akira Misaki cornered Soichiro Hoshi back at the muggle London"

Her father had a brother? Runo clutched to the column of wood, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes were glistening with tears, her heart pounding harder with each word. She needed to go outside, she needed a breath of fresh air. But she kept pushing herself closer to the column; she needed to hear the rest of the story.

"Akira Misaki was quite the brother" Tigrerra said "I only met him when I was admitted as a teacher at Hogwarts. Little boy was quite the contrast to his brother, always quiet and responsible. But those two defended each other like no other. It was no surprise Akira went after Hoshi"

"The eye-witnesses admitted that Akira cornered Hoshi with tears on his eyes; he admired him as a brother as well, it was only acceptable. The Misaki boy sent a spell flying but Hoshi was able to counter-attack it. In a few seconds Akira was blown to nothingness." A heavy silence fell upon the table and Runo had to cover her mouth to keep shut the sobs that were coming out of her mouth.

"The scene was horrid" The minister's hand was shaking as he spoke "An enormous crater was in the middle of the street, muggles screaming, blood and bodies all over the place. And in the middle of it all was Hoshi, kneeling a maddening smile over his lips." He shook his head in displeasure. "There was nothing left of Akira Misaki after that, just a dust of smoke. Both wands had been blown to pieces, nothing else of evidence was there"

 _In the_ _cauldron_ _boil and bake,_

 _Fillet of a fenny snake_ _,_

"What about the Veritaserum?" Madam Li asked, a bit of hope in her tone "Did you used the serum during Hoshi's trial?"

"We did" The minister grumbled, getting quite angry "He was under the serum during the trial, but you must remember my dear that Veritaserum works partially. The victim tells his version of what is the truth. Of course he was spouting non-sense that he was innocent, not likely!" Tigrerra shot a glare to the minister, helping him calm down somewhat "But that's what happened Madam Li. Akira Misaki was granted the Order of Merlin, First Class, while Hoshi was sent to Azkaban."

"What happened to Sakura Brown?" The woman lamented, "She was such a care-free girl, the sweetest in Ravenclaw by far. And what about their son? He was only two when he got taken away!"

"Sakura Brown stood by her husband to the very end" Tigrerra said "The girl fought with the ministry countless of times, believing that Hoshi was innocent. After some time she gave up and focused on educating her son. She was only nineteen when Hoshi was taken away after all"

"Foolish girl if I say so myself" The minister muttered under his breath. Tigrerra and Madam Li instantly shot him the darkest of glares, scaring him off "Anyhow, the ministry is working hard to catch him again, so you won't have to be troubled by such situations my dear"

"I hope you're right minister. If you'll excuse me" Madam Li rose from her seat, and another sentence in Taiwanese left her mouth. The song was still ringing all through the tavern, but Runo only blocked the sound, focusing on the table in front.

 _Scale of dragon_ _,_ _tooth of wolf_ _,_

 _Witches' mummy_ _,_ _maw_ _and_ _gulf_

"William if you wish to meet with the Headmistress, I would advise you to head over there. Wyvern must be at her office by now" And with that the remaining adults rose from their chairs and left a tip at the table.

"How is his son?" The minister asked, merely just a whisper.

"He's a marvelous student if I say so myself" Tigrerra commented, "Joe Brown definitely takes after his mother. But Hoshi is still very present in him. The way he writes, the jokes he always makes around his housemates, and many other things" The teacher turned to the minister, a full scowl over her face "I would advise you to keep him safe as well. Last time Hoshi tried to enter Hufflepuff's Common Room and I'm sure it wasn't to see Runo"

"And keep his name out of the Daily Prophet as well" Professor Preyas added "It is bad enough that students are already suspecting him and then you want to add hate mail to the bunch as well" The Herbology professor scoffed "He has nothing to do with what Hoshi did those thirteen years ago, neither does Sakura Brown."

"Er, I'll do my best Tigrerra and Preyas" The minister avoided eye contact with them "Shall we get going?" Professor Preyas shook his head, but exited the tavern as well, the other two following behind him. The door closed with a bang, but the roars of laughter and signing were still very much present in the Three Broomsticks.

 _Double, double, toil and trouble;_

 _Fire burn and cauldron bubble._

 _Double, double, toil and trouble;_

Runo couldn't even breathe after what she had just heard. She managed to sit up, but she was clutching the wooden column for dear life. Her hands were full of blisters that much she knew, but she couldn't even register the wounds, just an enormous wave of anger and hatred washing over her.

Her eyes were stinging with tears, the image of her parents smiling happily along with him, and the thought of that man betraying them. The very same man who had saved her back at the orphanage had sold out her family to Naga. He was their best friend and he had turned their back on them.

She felt disgusted with herself. Why did she believe the man in the first place? He only wanted to get in her head somehow. Gain her trust and attack her from behind, when she least felt it. Runo gnawed at her scar, completely lost at what to do. She wanted revenge for her parents. She wanted him to suffer. Hoshi had killed her family all in a span of two days. And Akira Misaki, her unknown uncle, had died trying to do the same thing as her.

Why had no one told her about such information? She had the right to know all about it, but they had kept it hidden from her. Runo felt foolish to even think that the rest of the wizarding world had judged Hoshi wrong. She wondered how did his wife continued to support him, all through all those situations. Before she even registered it, water was flowing out her eyes and her friends were right beside her.

"Runo?" Dan was next to her in a millisecond, worry all over his face "What happened?" He knelt next to her, not entirely sure of what he must do. The tears flowed even harder than before and Runo couldn't keep it in anymore. She covered her eyes away from them as she tried to cease the crying. Her friends exchanged worried glances and Dan didn't hesitate to place an arm around her frame.

Runo didn't pay attention to them. Her sobs were full of grief and anger that she couldn't stop. She held on tighter to Dan, the only thing keeping her steady as the chorus continued to echo all through the room. She wanted the noise to take her away; to force her to forget all about the misery she was feeling. The sobs kept coming just as the crowd kept signing.

 _Something wicked this way comes!_

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! The long awaited chapter is finally here! You don't know how excited I was while writing this and when I re-read it once more! I don't know I felt very proud of myself with this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as well hahaha Sorry for the long wait, I took more time than expected, with exams and all coming up as well as documents for my return to Mexico were on the way as well, sorry!**

 **So truth's out huh? Well many of this things were to be expected but well we know fully know the relationship between Hoshi and Joe Brown as well as a newly introduced character hahaha I felt super bad for Runo in this chapter. Like poor girl she was enjoying herself with her friends at Hogsmeade and then bang the revelation that all of her family died thanks to a crazed murderer is dumped on her. But don't worry she'll get back on her two feet soon enough.**

 **The next chapter coming up I have to admit is a good one as well hahaha or well at least to me, I'm sure some of you will love the next chapter as well hahaha for the mean time you'll have to wait a tiny bit. I've started writing another story for the meantime (not the best idea though) and I'm polishing it bit by bit so wait for me. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!**


	24. Third Year: Necessary Talk

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **· Necessary Talk**

Runo really wasn't sure how she managed getting back into Hogwarts. After hearing the talk and such, she gave curt goodbyes to her friends and headed straight to Honeydukes. She didn't even explained what had just occurred and left them with confused faces. Dan tried calling out to her, but she didn't even bother to look back at him. She really wasn't in the mood to talk or even to breathe for that same matter.

Not even bothering if she got caught, she slipped past the Honeydukes owners and went inside the trapdoor and headed straight to Hogwarts. After that it was really a blur. She recalled going as fast as her legs could take her inside the passage and reaching the castle in a cold sweat. She dashed towards the Gryffindor Common Room and straight towards her dormitory. Thankfully no one was back from the Hogsmeade trip and so she headed straight for bed.

Her body plopped without much effort as she closed the curtains around her and tried thinking for a second. Nothing came to mind. It was like a blank canvas just staring back at her. Runo remembered fidgeting all around her bed, trying to stop a terrible wave of emotions from taking over but failing. Once the thoughts went back to the talk she heard, she opted to shut her eyes as tightly as she could and sleep.

That had occurred five days ago and she still hadn't left her bed. Christmas break had already started and both Chan Lee and Fabia had departed to her respective homes. Her friends on the other hand had agreed to stay during the break, but after this she hadn't had any sort of connection to them.

Runo turned in her bed once again a grunt from her stomach could be heard now. She had been feeding herself with the few candy she had left and so far Lumos had helped her in bringing her some berries, but other than that she hadn't visited the Great Hall for any food of the sort. She scrambled her blue hair out of her face as she looked out the window of the dormitory.

The school grounds were still filled with mountains of snow and it was quite early as well. Surely no one would be up by this hour during the Christmas break. Runo sat up in her bed and sighed, she really didn't want to go out. The protection and safety of her bed tempted her to go back in but she knew she wouldn't last much longer with just candy. Though the experience of living with Bella Black reminded her of another thing.

She grimaced at the new horrendous memories and focused on trying to get to the Great Hall first. Runo quickly brushed her hair and combed it up into a ponytail. She put on a navy blue sweater along with a pair of black leggings and the first pair of shoes she found. She looked herself in the small mirror they all shared and almost groaned. Her eyes were still bloodshot red from all the crying. Runo quickly got to the shared bathroom in the dormitory and splashed water to her face, hoping her eyes would return to normal, but to no use.

Runo only groaned as another rumbling from her stomach calling out for food surfaced. The girl took one last look at her reflection and left the room. She swiftly descended the stairs, trying to make as less noise as possible as she descended the spiral staircases and reached the longue room. Once there she noticed it was practically empty with the exception of someone.

Dan Kuso was sleeping soundly on the couch of the common room, the chimney aflame illuminating his face. Runo sighed and got closer to him, confusion and worry flaring in her mind. The boy was snoring through it all and he was wearing the sweater his mother had given him the previous Christmas. She was debating herself if she should wake him up or let him sleep.

"You kept him up the whole five days here" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, making her jump in surprise. Out of nowhere she saw Shun coming in from the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room. Runo clutched to her heart for dear life, trying to steady its rhythm just as she saw Alice coming in after him.

"How did you get in?" She asked, as she finally started to calm down from the surprise. The Slytheirn only showed her a piece of parchment with the password of the common room written on it. It matched to Dan's handwriting. Runo sent her best friend a scowl, clearly regretting her decision of coming out of her dormitory.

"Runo…"Alice approached her, chocolate eyes full of worry. She felt a pang of guilt at that just as the Ravenclaw reached her "What happened? We where so worried about you…You left in a flash and after that you didn't leave your dormitory for days, what happened?"

Runo grimaced, just as her friend took hold of both of her hands and she adverted her eyes to someplace else. She didn't want to share what had just happened, but she felt that she owed it to them at least. Shun only sighed as he took a pair of cushions and sprawled them out on the floor.

"Whether you like it or not, we're going to talk this out. Sit" He ordered and didn't waste time to plop a pillow in Dan's face. The brunette jumped out from his sleep, completely dazed at what was going on around him. The boy rubbed his eyes, clearly not liking being woken up so early in the morning.

"What the hell man?! It's frigging six o'clock in the morning! Why the fu-!" He was about to go off when his eyes landed on Runo. Dan's mouth was gaping at her, completely surprised to see her "Runo!" He scrambled up to his feet. Alice moved to sit next to Shun as the brunette approached her "Are you okay?"

Runo managed a small nod, but still unable to bring herself to talk about it just yet. Dan was the first one to notice this, his eyes turning to Shun instantly. The brunette gave him a look, but Shun retaliated with one of his own. Dan sighed as he moved over to his own cushion and plopped down on it as well.

"Come on then, we'll listen don't worry" The brunette patted the spot right next to him, a small smile over his lips. She managed to nod once again and stiffly sat down on the cushion next to his. The fire at the chimney was cackling just as the four of them took place on the floor. Runo shifted in her seat, still trying to avoid talking about the problem.

"You look terrible" Alice commented, "You've been in your room for days and whatever happened back at The Three Broomsticks really affected you. Julie and Marucho are worried too" The redhead pressed on, making her glare at the ceiling.

"We want to help" Shun intervened "We want to help you in any way we can. But we won't be of much use if you don't tell us what's been bothering you" The Slytherin stated, a harsh tone on his voice. Irritation flowed through her body as she shot the boy a glare.

"I'm fine" She retorted, wanting nothing more than to go to the Great Hall or back to her room "If this is going to be an interrogation, then better get on with it don't you think?" She snapped back at them. Dan and Shun exchanged knowing looks while Alice tried to calm down the mood in some way.

"We just don't want you to do something stupid like you always tend to do" Dan said, irritation soon following "We want to help you Runo, can't you see that? Just tell us what happened back at Hogsmeade" She brushed away her blue bangs, trying very hard not to snap back at them.

"Oh like you're the one to talk about doing stupid things" She shot back, the brunette getting angrier by the second "It has nothing to do with you, I'm fine I just needed to rest that's all!"

"You're not fine!" Dan's voice rose "You were crying for Merlin's sake! You've been closed off in your room for days! What did you expect us not to worry?! It has everything to do with us, we just want to help you!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" Runo snapped back at him, completely forgetting about composure. She rose from her place and started pacing around the room "You wouldn't understand how I feel about this!" In her desperation, she started to scratch over her lighting scar "You wouldn't know!"

"We can't understand if you don't tell us!" The brunette screamed. Alice looked between the two, clear worry over her face while Shun kept his eyes glued to the conversation. Almost as if he was analyzing the whole thing "Soichiro Hoshi is after you that much we know, that's why you can't go do something stupid!"

"I'll do something stupid if it means to stop him!" Runo wasn't thinking clearly. Her mind was flooding with such anger and hatred towards the man that she felt disgusted with how she felt. She could see him vividly, mimicking her back at the orphanage for trusting him. She felt like such a fool "And to think that I trusted him!"

"What are you even talking about?!" Dan looked agitated, completely dumbfounded at the argument "Why would you trust Hoshi?! He's been after you since he left Azkaban! The man even went to look for you back at the orphanage-!" The brunette closed his mouth right after that, eyes widening. Runo had to curse out loud at the slip she had just made. She turned her back to them, trying to think of a way around this whole mess. No one spoke for a moment.

"You really did see him back at the orphanage didn't you Runo?" Shun was the first to speak, his voice steady. She clenched her fists at her sides, wanting nothing more than to avoid the discussion that would ensure "That's why the Aurors couldn't find you back at the orphanage. He had helped you escape, didn't he?"

She brought her hands to her hair, trying to stop all of the thoughts reappearing in her mind. Hoshi didn't help her back then. He was only taunting her, trying to get her to trust him and kill her when she least expected it. Runo took in a deep breath and turned back to them.

Shun was still sitting on the floor, but his gaze was unwavering and steel cold, clear anger flashing in his face. Alice was clutching her navy blue sweater in her hands, eyes glistening with tears as the thought processes in her mind. While Dan was standing not too far away from her all sort of emotions over his face; More prominent worry and guiltiness.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Shun asked her.

"Because I would be left like an idiot for trusting him" Runo finally found her voice, a bit hoarse and raspy "And I was left just like that, an idiot"

"Of course you were!" Dan finally broke the silence, his voice fueled with anger. She couldn't meet his gaze, her eyes focusing solely on the common room rug "Why would you trust Hoshi?! Why would you even talk to him in the first place! He could've killed you dammit!" The brunette was going off, now he being the one pacing around the room, scrambling his hair over and over again "Did you not trust us enough to tell us?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!"

"BECAUSE I COULDN'T DO IT!" Runo shouted back, anger and sadness fueling her up even more "I didn't even know whom he was when it happened! He just helped me and I took it! Who wouldn't?! Bella was going to murder me if I stayed in that place any longer!"

Her tongue kept slipping and slipping even more. Things that had been bottled up just came back in an instant and she couldn't even stop it "But now that I now that he was the one responsible about my parent's murder, how do you think I feel, huh?! He was their friend and he betrayed them! It's because of him that my parents are dead!"

She was huffing by the end of it, some tears slipping past her eyes as she breathed in and out. Everyone else was dead quiet, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. Runo scoffed at herself, so much for trying to keep her secrets. She breathed once again and in a surprising turn of events she could even feel her chest a bit lighter than before. Her friends continued to look at her, complete shock over their faces as they watched her. She shook her head and plopped down on the floor, completely exhausted once again.

"I heard Tigrerra talking about it with the minister back at The Three Broomsticks…" Runo explained, dragging her legs closer to her body. She placed her chin on top of her knees and began talking. She figured that now that she had uncovered most of what happened, the least she could do is give them a complete explanation. Her throat was getting dry from the lack of water but she could care less. Once she finished her friends looked even more shocked and terrified than before.

"Runo…" Alice muttered, horror all over her eyes as she watched her "I-I'm sorry I don't know what to say" The redhead rubbed her eyes a bit, trying to stay as calm as possible "I don't know how you must feel about all this, but you mustn't go do something stupid" A pleading look passed through her eyes "Please just don't go after Hoshi"

"Soichiro Hoshi is not worth dying for" Dan spoke up, arms crossed over his chest, a pained expression on his face. Runo didn't comment on it, already dreading the next discussion "You won't go after him will you?"

"Whenever a dementor walks by I can hear my mom pleading with Naga" She said, frown already in place. Just as she had predicted, they didn't understand "And I just found out that because of a friend of hers Naga went and killed-"

"There's nothing you can do about it!" Alice screeched, completely terrified now "The dementors are going after him, I'm sure he'll be back in Azkaban in no time!"

"That's not punishment enough…" She muttered under her breath "If he escaped Azkaban once, what makes you think he'll be locked up again?"

"So you're going to take justice by your hands?" Shun spoke up "You're going to kill Hoshi?" Alice gave him a startled look and even Dan turned to his friend with wide eyes. Runo only locked eyes with the Slytherin. At the moment she really was at doubt in what she wanted. The only thing she was certain of was the fact that Hoshi had to pay one way or another.

"Don't say that Shun" The Ravenclaw said in a shaky voice, shifting her eyes between her and the boy "Runo doesn't want to kill anyone, right?" Alice turned to her, but Runo only averted her eyes. She focused her eyes on the wood burning by the fireplace, a tremendous doubt and questions filling her mind. Why had no one told her about what had really happened since the beginning?

"You're playing right into his hands Runo, this is what he wants. Don't go after him." Dan said. He was finally seated back on the floor, but a flame of anger present in his eyes. She shifted her eyes at him "Your parents wouldn't want you to go after Hoshi"

"I'll never know what they would've wanted, because thanks to Hoshi, I've never spoken to them." She snapped back, creating another heavy silence. Alice and Dan exchanged worried glances, but on the other hand Shun looked at her. His eyes were calm and even a look of understanding on them.

"If you think going after Hoshi will make you feel better then do it" He said, earning horrified gasps coming from her other two friends. Shun shot them a glare and spoke before they could interrupt him "My parents were murdered as well, and I'm sure if I found out who was the one behind it, I would be after them" Runo's eyes widened as he listened to the boy.

"Shun! That's not the answer!" Alice cried out, completely not agreeing with any of it "Going after the murderer won't bring anyone back!"

"We are aware of that fact, thank you very much" Shun coldly answered "But letting the bastard live is not fair as well." The redhead shot him a glare and he wasn't backing down for anything. Runo shifted her eyes to the Slytherin. He was the only one among them that could possibly understand her the best. She had forgotten the fact that Shun's father, Haruto Kazami had been killed the same week as her parents and his mother a few months prior.

"This is a completely different matter Shun!" Dan challenged him, vivid fire dancing in his eyes "Hoshi killed thirteen muggles with a single curse! He's after her and has escaped Azkaban, if Runo goes after him it's basically suicide all together!"

"Then I'll help her" Shun intervened, making Runo look back at him with astonishment, and mouth agape. Dan let out a strangled yell, even more furious and anxious than before but the Slytherin continued, "He might as well have some insight on what happened to my parents"

"Shun no please…"Alice pleaded, tears streaming down her eyes "I don't want you dead, please…" She tried rubbing away her tears but they wouldn't stop for a thing. Runo bit her lip in worry. She didn't think that this would cause so much trouble for her friends all together but now that she could see the bigger picture…

"No." The brunette shook his head, still against the idea "Like hell I'm letting you go after a crazed murderer. I don't care if you think you can stop him, I don't want you two dead." He said, anger flowing through his voice at every second. Runo was about to speak up when the door to the Gryffindor Common Room burst open.

"Guys did she leave her room yet?" Julie's face appeared right in front of them, being accompanied with Marucho not too far behind. Runo gave Dan a frown, but he was still way too angry at her to even look up. She was enveloped in a hug straight away, Julie almost suffocating her "We were so worried about you girl!"

Marucho gave her a sheepish smile and was about to speak, but then noticed the dense mood around the room. He gave Runo a confused look, but didn't comment anything else. Julie drew back from her hug and rearranged her hair once more so it wouldn't look too messy.

"Okay then, we can all go eat the marvelous food at the Great Hall!" The Hufflepuff clapped as she took her hand and forced her to stand "Don't be such a downers, come on let's go eat!" Before Runo could even protest, Julie was already dragging her out of the room. The rest of their friends followed behind, still trying to recover from the previous talk. She turned to look both at Dan and Alice, the ones lagging further, both of them looking worried.

"You can tell me the details later." The silver haired girl whispered in her ear. Runo then turned to her, wide eyes with surprise. Julie noticed this and broke into a giggle "Anyone could read that sort of damp mood, for the moment let's try and enjoy Christmas" The Hufflepuff winked her eye as she continued to drag her and the rest towards the Great Hall.

Even though Runo didn't want to leave that conversation up in the air, she reasoned that it could be good for everyone to have a peace of mind for just a few moments. She tried relaxing herself, but deep down knew that after this there would be no time to waste. She would get her hands on Hoshi with or without help.

* * *

Christmas break ended in a blink of an eye. Before Runo knew it, students were flooding the castle's halls, each going to their respective classes for the day. Snow was still pilling outside the castle, and the chilly winds never seemed to cease. Everyone was still wrapped in cloaks and scarves, trying to warm themselves up.

She shivered in cold, as she adjusted her Gryffindor scarf and bolted towards Shinjiro's office. Her classes of the day had already finished and Quidditch practice had been cancelled due to the heavy snow out in the field. Jake Vallory insisted on still training but thanks to the Kuso Twins they prevented that from happening. Wouldn't want someone from the team injuring themselves before the next match.

Runo gripped tighter to her cloak as she ran up the stairs and reached the office. Before she could even knock the thought of her friends made way into her mind. A frown settled onto her face as she tried to focus on what was at task, but the thought kept bothering her. She still wasn't on talking terms with Alice or Dan, both of them still trying to get her to reason. Marucho had probably heard from Alice and tried to get her out of thinking like that but it didn't help at anything. She told Julie a bit less detailed version of the story and even the Hufflepuff looked more worried than ever, always keeping her eyes on her.

Shun was the most understanding out of all of them. He didn't comment on the situation any longer and carried on normal conversations as if the talk about Hoshi never happened. Though they would often meet up at the library and recall all of the details from the daily newspaper, 'The Daily Prophet'. They were still far from knowing exactly where Hoshi was hiding, but they had a petty good deduction by far. Eventually Hoshi would pop up at Hogwarts or at the Brown's house after all they were his family.

Runo hadn't seen Joe Brown since that time at the Owlery but she had a feeling he didn't want to see her as well. Merlin only knows if he actually knew about what his relative had done, but she didn't blame him at all. He was just a person caught up in a crazed murderer's life. She bit on her lip, surely Joe Brown would feel quite the apprehension at the man, but there wasn't a sure way to know about it.

Before she noticed it she was already standing right before Shinjiro's office. Without missing a beat she knocked on the door as hard as she could. A faint 'Coming!' was heard from the other side of the door along with a hurried pace of steps. In a few seconds the door was already open and there stood Professor Shinjiro. He looked down at her and smiled as brightly as ever.

"And here I thought you wouldn't come" He laughed a bit and moved away from the door "Here, come inside I already have the things prepared" Runo flashed him a smile and entered the office, the door closing behind her. Mr. Kuso had agreed in helping her counterattack the nasty dementors and now that she was after Hoshi as well, she wouldn't waste a single second in fooling around.

Professor Shinjiro's office was the same as always, full to the brim with papers and books, but everything seemed to be moved to the corners and only thing different this time was the fact that a small suitcase was resting by the floor. Runo got rid of her scarf and cloak and placed them on the nearest chair along with her belongings, only wand at the hand as she looked at the professor. He gave her a kind smile, taking out his wand as well.

"Okay since it is dangerous to infiltrate a real dementor into the castle, I thought you could practice with a boggart for a moment" He explained to her "The boggart was fooling around near Professor Golem's office, I'm sure he won't mind me taking it for a bit" He snickered at the thought "So the boggart will take the form of a dementor and I'll help you counterattack it with the Patronus Charm."

"And how does it work?" She asked, already jittery as she looked at the suitcase on the floor.

"The Patronus Charm is a spell of highly advanced magic Runo. When it works correctly, the spell conjures up a guardian or in this case a Patronus to act as a shield from the dementors" He continued, "The Patronus is a positive force that works to block the dementors. It is formed out of happiness and hope, that's why the dementors can't hurt it. Each wizard has it's own Patronus, meaning each charm is unique" He gave her a pointed look and then a sigh with worry "But I must warn you Runo, it is a highly advanced spell, even the most experienced wizards have trouble conjuring it"

"And how do I conjure it?"

"With an incantation, that will only work if you are concentrating enough on a single, very happy memory that you have" Runo nodded as she began thinking. A single happy memory from her life was quite the task to look for. Certainly nothing related to Bella Black or the Wool's Orphanage for that matter. Her mind kept searching for a memory that filled her with such excitement and happiness like no other. She settled when Tigrerra had come to take her away from the orphanage.

"Okay I'm ready" Runo said with confidence. Shinjiro looked at her and smiled.

"Right then, the incantation is this one," The professor cleared his throat _"Expecto Patronum!"_

 _"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum"_ She began chanting it, whispering to herself as she continued to concentrate on her happy memory. Suddenly out from the tip of her wand, a silvery wisp of gas appeared and then vanished in a few seconds. She looked at it her eyes wide with excitement "Something happened!"

"Very good" Mr. Kuso praised her, a similar grin to Dan's plastered over his lips "Now try it a few more times before I open up the suitcase" She nodded with fervor as the professor moved towards the suitcase and placed his hands over the lid "Whenever you're ready"

"Okay, _Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum_ " She continued to chant, concentraiting hard enough on the feeling of gratefulness and happiness washing her entire body when Tigrerra had come to take her away. Runo frowned a bit, the thought of her mother's voice interrupting her train of thought for a second. If she passed out she would be able to hear her once more. Shaking her head she tried to get rid of that thought and focused on Tigrerra's bright smile, but the image of her mother kept invading her head "I'm ready!"

"Okay then" The professor sounded unsure. But then he opened the lid of the suitcase and the whole room went quiet and cold within seconds. The once warm atmosphere vanished before her as a dementor appeared right out of the suitcase and made it's way towards her. Runo stood her ground and pointed her hand with confidence right at the creature.

 _"Expecto Patronum!"_ She yelled with emotion, the image of her and Tigrerra leaving the orphanage together very present before her. A small wisp of silver started to appear from the tip of her wand once again _"Expecto Patronum!"_ Runo continued to chant, but the voice of her mother got to her. The silver wisp vanished in an instant.

A coldness swept over her as she heard once again the screaming and pleading from her mother along with the voice of Naga as well. Everything faded to black as she began to dissolve in an ocean of screaming and pleading along with a green spark from the corner of her eye.

"Runo!" She woke from the illusion. She bolted right up, arms shaking as she found herself on Professor Shinjiro's classroom once more. Everything was the same, except for the lid of the suitcase was shut once again. Runo passed a hand over her face, embarrassment clear over her cheeks.

"Sorry I-I was unfocused." She explained, a cold sweat trailing down her forehead.

"Here" Mr. Kuso handed her a Chocolate Frog. She didn't hesitate and brought it to her mouth straight away "Don't worry, I didn't expect you to get it in your first try. It takes a lot of time to master this charm, it's only normal" She numbly nodded but didn't give him that much attention as the voice of her mother made its way back to her mind "If you feel unsure to continue, we can-"

"No, I'm fine!" Runo interrupted "I have to! I need it for the match against Slytherin, what if the dementors show up?" Professor Shinjiro looked at her, uncertainty in his features but didn't say anything. She on the other hand tried to think over in the interruption. Her mother's pleading was clearer this time and in turn she could even hear Naga's voice as well.

"Well then search for another happy memory to concentrate, that one isn't strong enough" She nodded at the statement and began searching in her mind. When all of her friends had reunited after the incident in Second Year was definitely a happy and good memory. She nodded at the thought yes that one could work well enough.

"I'm ready" She said and took a firm stance once again, wand at the ready. Shinjiro only nodded still opposed to the idea and opened up the suitcase. The cold wind and shivering appeared once more, the dementor rising from the suitcase again. Runo focused on the memory, the faces of her friends present in her mind along with their smiling faces. A small orb appeared at the tip of her wand, wavering a bit as the dementor approached her.

 _"Expecto Patronum!"_ She bellowed as the dementor slightly halted in front of her small orb of silver. But it started dissolving little by little just as the voices in her head started to become louder and clearer. She forced herself to stand, the black void coming and going from time to time until.

 _'Saki take Runo and go! It's him! I'll hold him off! Go!'_

 _"Riddikulus!"_ Professor Shinjiro had gotten in the way between her and the dementor as the creature went back inside the suitcase. Runo was on the floor, sweat mixed along with tears streaming down her eyes. She sat up just as the professor turned back to her with wide eyes.

"I heard my dad…" She muttered, wiping away the tears from her face "He tried to take Naga by himself and let me and my mom escape." A hiccup left her mouth but she hold it off. Mr. Kuso looked at her with wide eyes, sitting down on the floor with her as well. Runo managed to compose herself but her heart was hammering in her chest.

"You heard Tatsuo?" He asked in a hoarse voice. She managed a small nod as he in turn only sighed "Runo I think it's best if we leave it for today. You've progressed well enough, we can continue over the next class" Runo looked at him and for the first moment agreed with him. "Eat this" He handed her a package of three Chocolate Frogs. She took it without hesitation and propped one in her mouth. She felt better in an instant.

"Well it's better if you head out for the Gryffindor Common Room, it's getting late after all. I can accompany you if you'd like" Professor Shinjiro smiled at her, just like before. Runo shook her head and stood up, the chocolate helping her regain a bit of energy.

"Don't worry about it Mr. Kuso, I can go there by myself" She said, placing her coat and scarf over her body once more. She propped the last Chocolate Frog over her mouth and gave him back the package. She took her bag and slung it over her back just as a question resurfaced over her mind. Runo had been meaning to ask him about it sooner but with the Patronus Charm in mind she forgot about it "Mr. Kuso you were friends with my dad right?" Shinjiro nodded right away "Then were you friends with Hoshi as well?"

His face was blank as he heard her. His eyes were wide just like when he had warned back at the Platform 9 ¾ about Hoshi. Runo thought about leaving it like that, but she felt cheated about the whole situation. Maybe Dan had already told his father about the conversation in Christmas.

"What makes you say that Runo?" He asked sharply.

"Nothing really" She feigned innocence "I just knew that he and my father were friends back at Hogwarts" Professor Kuso didn't looked convinced at all "I heard that they were always together and that's all"

"We were friends" Mr. Kuso said, keeping his eyes on her trying to know if that was the only cause behind it "Well that's what I thought back I those days. But as you can see the situation isn't the same now" He commented and shook his head "You better get going, it's getting late Runo"

"Thank you Mr. Kuso" She bid him off and exited the office. Her hand lingered on the doorknob for a second looking back at the door of his office. It made sense to her why all of the urgency from his part to keep her away from Hoshi after all this time. He was friend of both his father and of that murderer. She supposed it would only make sense for him to act in that way. But she still felt left out of the loop.

She shook her head trying to get rid of such thoughts for a while. Her head was still a mess after hearing her father's voice now that she couldn't help a small surge of sadness and emotion crashing over her again. 'Dammit' she thought as she scratched over her scar and made way towards the Gryffindor Common Room. She needed to focus on the game against Slytherin and looking for Hoshi. Her priorities right now was to learn the Patronus Charm.

Runo continued her way towards the common room, her mind elsewhere as she climbed her way up towards a staircase of many in the Hogwarts Stairways. She continued climbing it and suddenly the staircase jerked in an opposite direction to where she wanted to go. Runo clung to the handle next to her as the staircase came to a halt.

"This isn't the way." She muttered, but the staircase kept unmoving. Her impatience was growing thin with every second that ticked by and with each minute that the stairs didn't move a single bit. She huffed angrily and stomped her way up towards the unknown corridor he stairs had taken her. Just as she got there the staircase moved away, leaving her completely stranded.

"You just had to leave me here huh!" She shouted with indignation at the moving object, and to her luck no other staircase came to her aid after that. Runo thought for a moment, she could wait a bit to see if she could get the right staircase to the Gryffindor Common Room or try to make her way through the corridor she was left in. She turned her head to it and shrugged.

Her feet moved towards the corridor, walking by it without a problem. She honestly didn't know exactly where she was but supposed that she would eventually get to the common room. Doors unknown to her where right next to each other as well as old paintings, each of their frames full with spider webs and dust. She scrunched her nose in disgust and kept going. That was until something caught her eye.

Runo stopped walking to look at the painting right next to her. The painting wasn't that old as the rest on the corridor. It had been accumulating dust but the paint looked on a fine state in her eyes. Even the frame seemed to be at least ten years old. But what had really caught her eye was the figure that had been painted over the canvas.

It was a man that seemed to be in his thirties or even a bit younger than that. He had long sandy blond hair that reached his shoulders and covered a most part of his face. A small subtle was on his chin and his cheeks were full of scars and burnt marks. It was only a bust of a man but he seemed to be wearing a strange set of black robes.

The painting contrasted quite different to the other ones. Raging from the wizard that was in it to the aesthetic it used. Runo frowned. Who thought it was a good painting? But then the eyes of the man caught her attention. They were a nice shade of blue, while at the iris the smallest tinge of green seemed to catch on. If she looked long enough it resembled her dad in some way.

She titled her head to the left trying to see better or found at least the markings of the author, but none of those were present. Her eyes focused on the man once more, she was mad if she really believed that man resembled her father in some way. Shrugging she straightened up once more and made way to the Gryffindor Common Room once more. Runo didn't spare another glance at the painting again as she kept going, just as the blue orbs of the man seemed to follow after her.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I'M SUPER SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY! I was super caught up with projects and exams (i'm finally free of those btw) and I couldn't find time to even properly write for a while. But I already finished school here in Spain and so I'm going back to Mexico in two weeks haha I'll probably be a little bit more available to write and update and such, since I'll have a much more free time, but as well I don't believe it.**

 **So the awaited chapter is finally here guys! I always pictured Runo blurting out by accident or by pure anger the truth about knowing Soichiro Hoshi and well that's pretty much what happened in the story. So after this it'll be a rocky path for Runo and the rest of the gang, since well she will still be after Hoshi while the others try to prevent her from doing so. Another thing! haha I managed to write the next two chapters for this story, and after that we only have five more and we move to Fourth Year!**

 **For those of you waiting for MBB (** Mutant Battle Brawlers **) and LP (** Lost Princess **) hang with me for a bit, I'm picking up the pace with those two stories hahaha. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!**


	25. Third Year: The Firebolt

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers** **At Hogwarts**

 **Third Year**

 **· The Firebolt**

The whole school was bustling with cheers and excitement. The long awaited match of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin would take place in three days time and like expected rumors and bets were going all around for the time being. The Gryffindors were excitedly chattering about Quidditch strategies from one place to the other while the Slytherins would taunt at any of them, quite sure their team would win now.

Runo on the other hand was filled with nerves. She had been in plenty Quidditch games before and never in her life had she experienced such uneasiness. Well, that was before her Nimbus 2001 broke into pieces. She pressed her hands together and prayed somehow that her broom could get repaired, but no such luck. It had already been around a month or so, and she still hadn't purchased a new broom.

Jake Vallory was going to murder her if he found out that she hadn't purchased a new broom. The Shooting Star she was using for practice was okay for the moment, but for a Seeker that broom was garbage. Runo couldn't go fast enough to slip past the Bludger and she honestly felt the slowest on the team. She couldn't afford to lose the game now.

Runo scrambled her ponytail even more as she slouched on the Gyrffindor Common Room, surrounded by Divination and Herbology homework. Fabia and Chan Lee exchanged a curious glance between each other before Fabia moved her chair closer to Runo's. The three of them were huddled together in one of the tables in the common room, each drowning in their respective homework.

"I assume you haven't told Jake about your broom" Fabia spoke in whispers, looking around to see if the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain was actually around "Just purchase a Comet 260 for the moment! I'm sure it'll work out fine. The broom will be here in no time and we'll win against Slytherin!"

"I told you I don't want a Comet for a broomstick!" Runo murmured back. Her roommate gave her a flat look and she could help but to blush in embarrassment "It doesn't offer much and just looks good for appeal" She shook her head in exasperation "I've been looking at 'Which Broomstick?' for ages but nothing looks good"

"Why don't you purchase a Jiatsú then?" Chan Lee spoke up, eyes never leaving her History of Magic parchment "I've heard that the Chinese National Quidditch team is using them and is quite good looking as well"

"Yeah but shipping from London to China will probably leave me broke" Runo said back. She looked down at her homework. So far the only thing she had managed to accomplish was scribbling two sentences over her Divination parchment, while her report on the Puffapods for Herbology was long forgotten "I think I'll talk to Shun to lend me his broom or something"

"He'll won't be able to" The voice of Dan broke through their conversation. Her heart stilled for a moment before she turned her head towards him. The brunette was standing next to her chair, a small frown over his face. It had been ages since they've talked. After Runo had gone to practice with his father, he refused to talk to her and she in turn did the same. Their interactions had been forced in Quidditch practices but during class they would mostly ignore each other. "Keith Clay made him the new Seeker for the Slytheirn team"

"EH?! Shun Kazami is the new Seeker?!" Fabia practically shot up from her seat, earning quite the attention from the rest of the Gryffindor students "When did all of this happen? Wasn't Hydron the Sekeer?!"

"He was," Dan continued as he crossed his arms over his chest and began explaining "Apparently that match we had the other day against Slytherin was the last chance of Hydron for being in the Quidditch team. It was something along the lines of not fitting well in teamwork along with his arrogant attitude. So Clay made tryouts for the Seeker position and Shun got the spot"

"We're utterly screwed!" The green eyed girl exclaimed, and began pacing back and forth around the table "Hydron along with Nene Kaneda were the weak link in Slytherin's Quidditch team, but with one of them gone and replaced by no other than Shun Kazami, we'll be doomed for sure!"

"Oh Merlin" Runo banged her head on the table, her nerves skyrocketing even more than before. The pressure was on "What to do? Shun will get the snitch in no time if I use the Shooting Star. He's even faster than me with a regular broom…" She began to mumbled sentence after sentence, her mind filling in with worry and stress, the homework over the table long forgotten "We're going to lose"

"Oi!" Dan pulled her right ear, making her yelp in surprise. She pushed his hand back and gave him a small glare. The brunette was still frowning, surely still not willing to forgive her concerning the events with Soichiro Hoshi "Don't combust so early in the game! We're not on the Quidditch field yet!"

"Speaks the one who has a broom" Runo said. She pushed back her bangs and closed her eyes. Her mind was jammed up all together and with Fabia practically screeching in the background she couldn't concentrate at all. Her eyes opened and looked back at Dan once more. The boy looked back at her and she could still feel the frustration flowing out of him "I though you and Shun weren't on speaking terms"

"We aren't." He mumbled, taking a few steps back from her. Her stomach stirred as she watched him look away "I only heard it from Mira Clay back at the Great Hall" He sighed and took in a deep breath "Don't think you'll be forgiven that easily"

She bit on her lower lip. Of course she knew that already, no need to remind her every five minutes or so. Alice had taken the same position of refusing to talk to her. They were waiting for an apology from her part. But she needed to take care of Soichiro Hoshi first. Once she could get that murderer back into Azkaban or send him to hell she would be satisfied and she would apologize for causing such a burden. But for the moment, she couldn't apologize.

"I wasn't asking for forgiveness" She shot back. Dan fumed but Runo turned her head away, taking in hand her Herbology report. Chan Lee looked up from her homework for a brief moment, scanning the two of them with her eyes, but didn't say anything else "I'll apologize when all of this is over"

"What do you mean by that?" Dan asked, urgency clear on his voice "Runo I swear to Merlin if you're really going after-"

"RUNO!"

Billy Gilbert burst through the door of the Common Room, all eyes on him. He had his signature cap backwards, hair tied in a small bun and his uniform drenched in sweat as he tried to regain his breath. Over his arms was a large package, even larger than him. Everyone started mumbling to one another as the blonde made way towards her. Runo looked puzzled as the boy stood before her and presented her with the large wooden box.

"It's for you" Billy panted, "Professor Drago told me it came through mail" He continued to pant and fanned himself with his cap. She gave him a small 'thank you' and took the packed between her hands. She eyes it with curiosity as she laid it across the table, a few Gryffindor students looking towards it with curiosity.

"What's that?" Fabia came back, a small pout over her lips as she looked at the package. Runo shrugged as she started to look for a tag or some sign of whom was it from. Nothing of such was attached to the box.

"Did Professor Drago say who sent it?" She asked Billy.

"Nope. The only thing he told me was that your owl carried it to his office during Christmas. He was finally able to give it you" She was even more confused now. Lumos had left the castle to retrieve a package? What was that even about? She looked down at the package once more, suddenly feeling quite apprehensive of whatever was resting inside. The only person she could think of who'd use mail to send something for her would be Bella Black, but that woman would never send something to her, unless it was something bad. She shuddered at the thought and opened up the box.

A brand new broomstick was resting inside the box. A lustrous ebony handle gleamed at the light, along with hazel twigs at the bottom of the broom. Iron glistened at the foot grips along with decorations over the broom and a golden registration number gleamed at the side of the handle. Runo gasped once she recognized the famous broom.

"It's a Firebolt!" Dan exclaimed besides her. She couldn't stop looking at the broom as many students now hovered over her table and looked down at the broomstick.

"A Firebolt?!"

"Look at the handle!"

"Hey Runo is it really yours?"

Students started talking among themselves, everyone still looking between the broomstick and her. With shaking hands she took the box in her hands and looked for a note or something to know from whom was it from. Nothing appeared once again and she was left with more doubts.

"Billy are you sure this was for me?" She asked the blonde, her mind still not believing what was happening.

"Positive" The boy as well had taken a spot beside her, looking amazed at the broom "Do you have an idea on who might've send it?"

"Not really" She gulped and continued to marvel at the Firebolt before her. Last time, Tigrerra had gifted her the Nimbus 2001, but she was sure that her teacher wouldn't go out of her way to buy such an expensive broom as this one. She racked her brain for someone but the Firebolt was way too expensive, no one she knew could afford that kind of expense. Her eyes found Dan's. He looked surprised as well but a bit worried as he looked at the broom.

"Runo you have to fly it!" Fabia encouraged her suddenly popping up from her side, a big grin plastered over her lips "It's like Merlin opened up the sky for us to win the game! We'll be unbeatable with that Firebolt by our side against Slytherin!"

"Don't pressure her Fabia" Chan Lee scolded her, looking now quite annoyed at the crowd that had gathered around their table. The Chinese shook her head and looked up at Runo "I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the broom, just take it on a run I suppose"

"I'll accompany you!" Fabia cheered, quickly locking her arm with hers. Runo yelped in surprise as her roommate started dragging her out of the Common Room "Come on Runo, the weather is perfect for trying it out!" She managed to grab onto the handle of the Firebolt just as her friend continued to drag her out of the room. Excitedly a bunch of her housemates now followed closely behind her as they headed towards the Viaduct Courtyard.

"Runo, Fabia wait!" Dan yelled amongst the crowd as everyone followed after them. A couple of students watched the scene with curiosity as they kept going their way towards the courtyard. Runo kept a tight grip over the Firebolt as they managed to get to the grassy field in Hogwarts. The sun was blazing and the weather was almost as if it was on her side. The Gryffindors all huddled around her, excitedly chattering and trying to convince her to ride the broom.

"Come on mount it!" Fabia told her excitedly. Runo looked at the lot and everyone had happy grins over their lips and nodded along her friend.

"Wait a minute!" Dan intervened at that moment. He took hold of her left wrist and turned to her "I need to speak to you alone" A couple of whistles and cheers were heard amongst the crowd, making the brunette blush "Just ugh come a bit with me!" The boy dragged her away from the crowd, a worried expression over his face.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean by 'what is it?'" Dan muttered to her, an annoyed tone to his voice "Don't mount that godforsaken broomstick that's what!"

"Why?" Suddenly defensive, Runo held on tighter to the broom's handle.

"We don't know who sent it!" He argued back "For all we know Soichiro Hoshi might've sent it to you without anyone knowing!" She looked down at the broomstick "Look we don't know if that thing has a curse or a jinx on it or not"

Runo bit down on her lip as she thought of the idea. It was a clear possibility. Hoshi could've easily sent the broomstick somehow and take it to her. But, Lumos had delivered it to her in the first place and more specifically Professor Drago had already looked at it. If the broom were that jinxed someone would've already noticed after all.

"I get your point, but Professor Drago already looked at it." She said back, taking a few steps away from him "Lumos delivered it and I completely trust my owl. Besides I really do need a broom for the game against Slytherin"

"Oh forget about the game Runo!" The brunette messed up his hair, suddenly taking a deep breath: "I'm more worried if something happens to you now. You could fall down from your broom once more and Mister Lazar won't be able to catch you." The last part he said in such a frustrated tone of voice that she really doubted it was Dan talking.

"Gunz Lazar has nothing to do with this Dan." She said. He gave her a look but she continued "I'm not going to fall again, but I still need to try the Firebolt. I won't go too high I promise"

"Runo-" Before he could say another word, Fabia got between the two, clearly exasperated by all the waiting. Without any warning she dragged Runo back into the center of the grassy field. Dan released a frustrated sigh but followed after two of them nonetheless. The crowd had now grown bigger and from the looks of it even students from the rest of the houses had gathered around it.

"Now that you lovebirds are done! Let's see that Firebolt!" She cheered along with the rest of their housemates. Runo gulped in nerves as she looked down at the broomstick in her hands. While it was true that she had always dreamed of owning a Firebolt, she also couldn't shake the thought that Hoshi might've been the one behind the luxurious gift. She bit on her lip, but she still needed a broom for the match and what broom was better than the one on her hands.

With a shaky breath, she placed the broom between her legs as the cheering started once more. Her knuckles were white from gripping the handle too hard but she couldn't help the erratic beating of her heart. With a yell she kicked the ground beneath her and it was as if all sped up around her. She was shot up in the sky with such speed and magnitude that she felt like flying for a moment.

Runo let out a laugh as she found herself surrounded by clouds and the sky. She looked down to see the rest of the Hogwarts castle along with the tiny crowd of students at the Viaduct Courtyard. Letting out a laugh, she sped around the castle to such velocity that everything was a blur around her. The Firebolt was better than she could've imagined, it seemed to follow more of her thoughts rather than movements. The broom would turn at the slightest change with such fluid movements that she couldn't help to be happier. Her hair was dancing in the wind as she flew towards the ground, the cheers of her housemates getting louder. When she was just about to crash on the grass she flew upwards, just slightly touching the grass before ascending twenty meters in the air.

Her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. She couldn't help but to keep on testing the Firebolt again and again, too happy to even stop. Now she knew why the broom was the best choice for anyone playing Quidditch. It was nothing compared to her Nimbus 2001, and she could feel it perfectly.

With a final laugh she swiftly descended into the Viaduct Courtyard a satisfied grin over her lips as she greeted the crowd that had gathered around her. Everyone had their eyes glued to the broom in her hands and some even were trying to touch it. Fabia rose through the crowd an excited grin over her features. Dan was quickly behind her, eyes still filled with worry and a bit of amazement.

"So? How is it?" She asked and in return Runo gave her the most confident smile.

"We're going to beat Slytherin to the ground"

* * *

"Everyone take your seats the most anticipated game of the season will just begin! Remember make your bets over the roaster and choose who'll be the winner of this match! All in good terms Professor Tigrerra!" Billy Gilbert's voice resounded all through the Quidditch Field, as the stadium rose with cheers and shouts.

Runo was bustling with excitement, a bright smile over her lips as she moved from one spot to the other. The Firebolt was gripped tightly in her hand and she couldn't stop her erratic heartbeat. She would peek out from the Gryffindor locker rooms and grin in mischief at the thought of using her bran new broom to beat Slytherin. Never had she felt so competitive over Quidditch. But, the thought of the dementors passing by once more was still present in her mind so she had tucked her wand underneath her Quidditch uniform.

"Okay guys regroup!" Jake Vallory called out to the rest of the team as they all approached him "So seems like everyone's pretty confident about today huh?" The grins on mostly everyone's faces were enough of a response to him. He turned to her an already knowing look coming his way "Runo I'm sure with your Firebolt here that we would end up victorious in no time"

"Count on it" She answered with confidence as the rest of the team cheered on. Taylor Harada along with Fabia gave her a playful shove and cheered even louder now as they all headed towards the exit and into the Quidditch field.

She gave a brief glance at everyone on the team and Dan's frown caught her attention immediately. He was between his two cousins, who were surely taunting him, but his sour mood wasn't like the usual one. He had a mix of worry and annoyance over it. Runo gulped a bit and continued forward. Surely her best friend was still against the idea of her using the Firebolt.

Everyone on the stands seemed to be waiting for them since the cheers and screams became louder and more erratic. Runo griped the handle of the Firebolt even harder as everyone took their positions in the field and Slytherin's team came into view.

"Eh so the rumors were true Misaki" Gunz Lazar taunted her as he approached his position and already mounted his broom. Runo couldn't help but to feel embarrassed about it, but still managed a small smirk over her lips "Grip onto your broom tighter now, I'm not sure I'll be able to catch you now"

"Don't worry Lazar, I'm sure we'll finish this game in no time" She grinned as the Slytherin Beater gave her back a smirk as well. She wasn't sure if her heart was going to burst out from her chest or not. She heard the excited whispers from Fabia and decided to ignore them as her eyes found Shun.

The raven haired boy was standing just in front of her, wearing the Slytherin Quidditch uniform and already mounted on his Nimbus 2000. He had a stoic look over his face but once he looked at her a small smile appeared over his lips. She couldn't help but to do the same as she mounted the Firebolt.

"I won't go easy on you Runo just remember that" He said as the memory of the two of them playing Quidditch back at Dan's house popped up in her mind. She couldn't help but to laugh at it as she recalled Shun winning almost every of their games.

"I won't expect any less of you Shun. I won't go easy on you as well" She smirked as Professor Skyress appeared on the center of the field. The tension in the air was present and Runo was more than ready to take off in her new broom. Jake and Keith reached the center of the field and shook hands as they retook their positions once more.

"Everyone on my marks, and remember play nice!" The Professor blew the whistle and Runo kicked the ground with all the force that she could muster. She practically shot up around twenty meters into the air, leaving everyone behind mostly. A bright grin over her face as she descended and dove right into action, trying to catch any glimpse of the snitch.

"And the game begins! Fabia Sheen doesn't hesitate and takes the Quaffle in her hands heading straight for the Slytherin's goal" Billy Gilbert spoke lively, the cheers around the field getting louder and louder "And today's main event is the famous Firebolt owned by Gryffindor's Seeker Runo Misaki along with Shun Kazami being the new Seeker for Slytherin! It is known that the Firebolt is the broomstick chosen by the national teams for the next Quidditch World Cup held next year!"

"Gilbert would you be kind enough to remind us what is happening in the actual game?" Professor Drago spoke up, along with the agreement of Tigrerra in the background.

"Right professor! Gryffindor scores! It is now fifty in favor of Gryffindor and thirty for Slytherin!"

Runo swooped from one side to the other, eyes frantically searching for the Golden Snitch but nowhere to be found. The Gryffindor Chasers were giving it their all as they quickly regained control of the Quaffle and headed towards the Slytherin goal without hesitation. Shun was gaining up on her, flying at a close distance from where she was but she couldn't shake him off that well.

Kenji Kuso passed the Quaffle back to Taylor Harada and in the mist of all a glimpse of gold caught her eye. The Golden Snitch was frantically flying close to where a multitude of Ravenclaw students were. Without hesitation, Runo whooshed right into it, Shun quickly following her. She began trailing behind the snitch, as the ball quickly dove down and she went after it.

"Teach them how to do it Runo!" Fabia cheered her on along with a shot of excitement from Kenta Kuso. The Firebolt quickly gained up on the ball and she extended her arm, ready to take it into her hand. Suddenly a Bludger flew right past her, clearly shot by one of Slytherin's Beaters. She swayed to the side just in time to avoid being hit but in the process she lost sight of the tiny flying ball.

"Dammit" She cursed to herself, looking up towards the rest of the players. Dan quickly hit the Bludger back, sending it towards the Slytherin Chasers. The boy had a frustrated look on his face but quickly flied towards Taylor Harada and hit the Bludger away from her. She gave him a brief glance before flying all over the field once more.

Shun was still flying behind her and Runo was seriously starting to get annoyed by it. But the Golden Snitch was nowhere to be found. The cheers continued to grow as she flew past it all and Gryffindor scored once more.

"Gryffindor takes the lead! Eighty in their favor and forty for Slytherin! The Firebolt is as fast as ever but the Snitch is nowhere to be found!" Billy Gilbert exclaimed as the players kept going with the game "Just look how the broom flies! Misaki is taking the lead for sure and Shun Kazami is being left in the dust. I would be honored if that were me, after all the Firebolt-!"

"Mr. Gilbert" Tigrerra said with a certain tone of voice that made everyone run a shiver down their spine "Would you go back to explaining the game"

"Sure do Professor" Gilbert said between small whimpers "Gunz Lazar hits the Bludger once more, heading straight for Kenji Kuso but Dan Kuso intercepts it. Nene Kaneda has the Quaffle and passes it to Volt Luster and he scores!" The Slytherin cheers grow even more and a couple of groans left the Gryffindor students.

Runo cursed under her breath when suddenly she saw a small glimpse of gold. Without waiting for it, she dove right into it, not even sure if it was the snitch. Shun immediately went after her as she sped up across the crowd. Sure enough there was the Snitch flying just near the grassy field. She dove down, Shun right after her.

The wind was slapping in her face but she could only focus on the golden flying ball in front of her. That was until a tall black figure over by the field caught her eye. She gasped in surprise as she saw three dementors were looking up at her, hooded and moving towards her. Without waiting for an answer, Runo drew out the wand from her uniform and quickly pointed it back at them.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ "

A silvery wisp came out from the tip of her wand but she didn't bother looking if the spell had worked or not. She flew even faster towards the Snitch, leaving Shun behind without much of a thought. Runo stretched out her arm and in a swift second the ball was already in her hands. Her eyes looked down at the golden small ball and smiled as she descended towards the grass.

The whistle from Professor Skyress resounded all through the field as it erupted in cheers and screams. Runo was knocked out of her broom just as Fabia threw her arms around her and they both landed over in the grass. Taylor was next and plummeted to the ground with them. The rest of the Gryffindor team did the same as they all huddled on top of Runo, bright smiles over their faces.

"We won! We won!"

"Thank Merlin for the Firebolt!"

"You're too heavy sod off!"

"Gryffindor takes the win!" Billy Gilbert cheered as well, the screams and cheers surrounding the whole field "Runo Misaki caught the Snitch perfectly and with that broom who wouldn't! The Firebolt after all is-!" He stopped the rambling just as he noticed the look Professor Drago was giving him.

Runo finally could breathe as her teammates moved away and helped her stand up. Everyone enveloped in a hug soon after, laughing and joking at the situation. Gryffindor students flooded the field as well, celebrating with the rest of them. She laughed and turned just in time to see Professor Kuso congratulating Dan on their victory. Her brunette friend turned away embarrassed but his father soon pulled him over his arms and messed up his hair. Soon after his cousins joined in with their uncle.

"That was quite impressive if I must say" Shun was next to her, a sincere small smile over his lips "Though I wouldn't get too confident if I were you" Runo smirked and playfully punched him in his arm.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the new Seeker?" The boy shrugged as if it was nothing, but still she pressed on "Come on, aren't you happy?"

"Oh of course I am" The raven haired boy answered "It slipped my mind to tell you, with everything else going on…" He drifted off in the last part, looking back at her in a more serious manner. She gulped and sighed. Leave it to him to get back to the important stuff.

"Kazami were going back!" Gunz Lazar appeared next to them in a flash, a wild grin over his face as he spoke. Shun gave him a curious glance, before looking back at her. Runo on the other hand felt like her heart would bust out of her chest any second now. The Slytherin Beater turned to her "You weren't kidding when you said you would finish this game early huh?"

"When it comes to Quidditch it is not a laughing matter Lazar" Runo was amazed on how smoothly she could talk, her mind was a mess and she was sure it could be noticed from a mile away. The blonde on the other hand only laughed and patted Shun on the back.

"It was a good game, though. Your Firebolt is very sturdy and fast, I'm impressed" She could only smile in return, surely her cheeks blushing red from the compliments (though it was towards her broom). Shun gave her a curious look, a small frown over his eyes "Well we have to go back or else Keith will give us the scolding of a lifetime. See you later Misaki!"

"Later!" She managed to stutter as she waved them a small goodbye to the two of them. Shun turned to her, another strange glance as he followed Gunz towards the Slytherin's locker room. Runo on the other hand felt jittery all inside and it was not because of the game that had just occurred.

"That was a pretty good Patronus if I must say" She turned and there, Professor Shinijiro was looking at her with a proud smile over his lips "It left me quite shocked, along with your victory as well"

"I didn't feel the dementors at all!" That was something that made her giddy inside "I didn't feel anything!" She almost jumped up from happiness and emotion.

"Truth is Runo, they weren't dementors…" Mr. Kuso said with a small smile, turning on his side so she could get a proper view of the scene developing in front of her "You gave Mr. Prince quite the scare…"

At a small patch of grass Hydron Prince along with his two lackeys, Sion Cornies and Lucas Smith, were lying on the field, each of them enveloped in a large and hooded black cape. She had to stifle her laughter as Tigrerra came forward along with Professor Skyress and went off with them.

"An filthy scheme to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker!" Tigrerra screamed at them, making a few students scurry off in terror. Runo on the other hand watched with an amused smile as Hydron's face turned to pure horror as she watched the professor "Fifty points off from Slytherin for each of you!"

"Such a bad morale! What name are you giving the house of Slytherin!" Professor Skyress continued to scold them, clearly taking their mischief as a personal offense "I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" Even some of the Slytherin students looked away in pure shame and embarrassment.

"Nonetheless the patronus you performed was good" Professor Shinjiro smiled once again, then turned to her with a more concerned expression "Runo I don't mean to intrude or anything, but are you and Dan on bad terms or something?" She turned to him, almost like she was caught red handed and he laughed.

"We're not on speaking terms I suppose" Mumbling she turned her eyes to the brunette. He was currently being embraced by an overexcited Jake Vallory and sandwiched between the Kuso Twins.

"Dan is quite the hot head you might've noticed" The professor sighed, looking towards his son as well "He hasn't told me anything though, but with that expression over his face you can just tell something is bothering him" In a swift motion he gave her a light pat on the head "I won't say anything but you're very dear to him Runo. You'll forgive each other eventually"

"I hope so…" She uttered under her breath, until the cheers grew even louder.

"Runo let's go to celebrate!" Fabia jumped next to her, an elated smile over her lips as the rest of the Gryffindor house cheered for the idea. They all went back inside the castle with the celebration in mind. It was more than she could expect in the end. The celebration lasted an entire day, the Gryffindor Common Room filled with cheering students along with candy and cake everywhere. Glasses filled with butterbeer were on everyone's hands, courtesy of the Kuso Twins whom had sneaked out of the castle thanks to the Brawler's map and made a small trip to Honeydukes.

Many students began to drift off and in the process some made it to their dormitories while others continued with the party. Runo was too elated to even sleep, and kept on awake until her eyelids couldn't hold on. Without much strength she sat down on one of the couches at the common room, Fabia taking the spot next to her. The minute she lied down she fell asleep. She didn't know if the party kept going or not, a dream clouding her vision.

A wisp of silver was standing right in front of her. Runo was somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest, creatures far in the distance and a scream slowly making way into her ears. The grass around her started to frost over and just then the wisp started moving forward. Unknowing on what to do she started following the silver wisp, as it slowly started taking the form of an animal and moving faster than before. Runo was now running after it, coldness seeping in her skin as she kept going. A clearing was up ahead and the roar of a creature startled her awake.

She opened her eyes at a sudden thud coming from the Common Room. Slowly she lifted up her eyes, the only light source from the room being the firewood burning by the fireplace. Fabia was by her side, sleeping like a log, along with the rest of the housemates that had kept partying. Many were sprawled over the carpet. Cushions all around and some had even fallen asleep over their chairs, Dan and Billy being one of many.

Runo quietly sighed as she lifted up her eyes to look over to the fire. A man was standing right in front of it. Her heartbeat stopped and eyes widened. His dark blond hair was tied to a low ponytail, gaunt eyes looking at the fire with nostalgia. He looked as skinny as ever, bony fingers stretching out to feel the warmth of the fire. No one in the room stirred as they kept on snoring away but the nerves were getting to her.

Anger and rage were filling her up but she didn't want to cause a commotion in the common room, or wake everyone up. If that occurred she wouldn't have the opportunity to get her hands on Soichiro Hoshi. Fabia snuggled to her even closer, mumbling someone's name as she did so. Runo shifted her eyes at her and now guiltiness started. If she didn't speak up all of her friends and housemates would be in trouble.

Hoshi didn't move from his spot, his hands still drawn towards the fire as a content sigh escaped his lips. She bit down on her lip hard enough to not make a single noise or movement. The man turned around and that's where she noticed his pair of grey eyes. The flashing memories of her parents made way into her mind, as she carefully moved her right hand towards her robes, where her wand was resting.

Runo tried to even out her breathing, her hand inching closer and closer to her wand, as she kept her eyes lidded to see if Hoshi was planning something. Pretending to be asleep she finally clasped the wand in her hand and slowly opened her eyes. Grey hues were looking down at her. Hoshi was now standing a few feet away from her, a surprised expression over his face.

"Runo-"

Before she could even move a shriek of fear startled everyone. Runo quickly shifted her eyes and saw Chan Lee at the base of the staircase, hands over her mouth and a horrified expression over her eyes. Hoshi moved like the wind and ran towards the fireplace. She didn't care anymore as she pushed Fabia away and went after him.

Her mind was fueled with rage as her wand suddenly released red sparks from its end. Hoshi was slipping away right in front of her and she couldn't let that happen. The man basically threw himself in the fire, almost as if it was planned. He turned to her for a moment just as the fire started to consume him and he was disappearing.

She couldn't let him get away. Her legs chased after him and just as she was about to jump in the fire as well, someone collided with her body. They were both thrown to the side and collided with the hardwood floor. Runo pushed the person away, trying to go after Hoshi was once more. Said person took hold of her wrists, preventing her from pursuing the man and she watched in defeat as the man disappeared right before her eyes.

Everyone awoke soon after that and just before they could ask questions the door to the common room opened. Professor Drago along with Tigrerra strode inside the room with their robes on and wands drawn out.

"What were you thinking idiot?" The person whom had stopped her had been Dan. He was still holding her in place, almost sitting on top of her, a frustrated and worried expression over his eyes "I told you it's suicide to go after him" He whispered to her, letting go of her wrists.

"Professor Drago, what's going on?" One of the Fourth years asked, just as the two professors moved towards the fireplace. Many started whispering among themselves just as Runo managed to sit up in the floor. Dan was still sitting next to her, grim look in his face. She couldn't say anything at the moment.

"We received a warning that someone had infiltrated the Floo Network illegally from a Muggle home and entered here" Professor Tigrerra explained in a soothing voice, careful to not frighten the First Years and Second Years "We were advised to come check it out immediately, but it seems the intruder has already left. Did any of you know who it was?"

Dan looked at her, but Runo adverted her eyes to the floor. She could tell them, but she didn't want to be involved in an interrogation between Professor Drago and Tigrerra. In the state that she was in, she could spill everything she knew and thus blowing the small chance of her actually going after Hoshi.

"It was Soichiro Hoshi" Chan Lee spoke up. The Chinese girl was still rooted to the spot, looking quite pale and shaken up as she spoke "I-I saw him by the fireplace, he was looking at the students and then he vanished" Runo sighed in relief after that. Well at least she hadn't told them about her almost jumping in the fire.

"We need to disconnect the Floo Network from here" Professor Drago said in an urgent tone of voice "Everyone go back to your dormitories, everything will be fine" After that Tigrerra pretty much forced everyone up and head to their dormitories. Dan went to hi without uttering another word to her and Runo went her way as well. She had a feeling they wouldn't be talking for a longer time now after the incident.

She sighed but headed on to her room, followed closely by Fabia. Chan Lee was still with Tigrerra who offered to take her to the Infirmary after the shock. Her friend hadn't looked her way even once and she had a feeling that she had suspicions on what had just happened. Runo chose to ignore it. Finally they reached their dormitory and sighed as they plopped on their respective beds.

"Hey Runo?" Fabia asked in a timid a shy voice.

"What's up?" She answered, quite confused as to why she would act that way.

"Do you think Hoshi is after you?" The girl sat up in her bed, eyes stuck on the floor. Runo did the same, her back resting over her pillow, as she looked at her friend "I mean he has broken into Hogwarts twice and he went looking for you at your orphanage…"

"If you put it that way I think he is." She simply said "But last time he tried breaking in Hufflepuff's Common Room, so he's trying to get to someone else as well"

"There's a rumor flying around about that actually" The blunette confessed. She looked around, as if to reassure herself they were the only ones inside the room as she inched closer to the edge of her bed "Remember Joe Brown?"

"What about him?" She already knew the relation between Joe and Hoshi was one of father and son, but she had to feign as if she didn't know.

"Well apparently Joe is related to Hoshi in some way" She explained, "Some believe that he is against Hoshi like pretty much the rest of the wizarding world. While other thinks that he helped him infiltrate Hogwarts"

Runo widened her eyes at that. She looked at Fabia, expecting some kind of joke, but the girl looked as serious as ever. At that she inched closer to her bed and listened now with more attention to her friend.

"You remember Baron Leltoy from Hufflepuff right?" Runo nodded straight away, the image of a cheerful purple haired boy instantly appearing in her mind "Well he told Mira Clay, from Ravenclaw, that during that night that Hoshi infiltrated the castle that Joe was nowhere to be found" She continued just as Runo inched closer to her the tale. She had to ask Julie if all of this was true or not "And that many nights after that, he has been sneaking out of the common room and come back with blood on his clothes!"

"What?!" Runo hissed, her mind spinning with the information "Then, is he helping Hoshi or what?"

"No one knows!" Fabia said back "Whenever Hoshi's name is uttered around Joe, he gets all defensive and leaves the room. Now that's quite the strange thing if you ask me" She shook her head and then looked out the window "It'll soon be morning, let's go back to sleep"

Runo actually wanted to hear more of the tale but didn't oppose as she felt a yawn coming her way. She lied down on the mattress and soon after Fabia was asleep right away. Turning to the left side of her bed she thought about the situation. She had always assumed that Joe felt some kind of resentment towards his father for all of the things he had caused inside his family, but now she wasn't sure that was the case anymore. Sighing she turned once more and tried to get some sleep. If Joe were actually helping Hoshi in some way, things would only get harder for her.

* * *

 **HEY GUYS! I'M SUPER SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY! It's been a month or so since I came back to Mexico and I'm finally back in school and whatnot haha so I'm super busy again and well I got a job as a Graphic Designer so I'll be super busy with that as well haha sorry once again!**

 **So Runo gets the Firebolt too haha I thought about it for some time about if I should it give it to her or not and well I ended up going with it haha also Shun is the new Slytherin Seeker, so the Slyhterin Quidditch Team has gotten a hell lot stronger than before that's for sure. Alsooo our little protagonist is getting in some serious trouble after this I swear haha so once again I managed to write the next two chapters for this story, and everytime we're coming closer towards the Fourth Year!**

 **Also another heads up, for those of you waiting for MBB (** Mutant Battle Brawlers **) and LP (** Lost Princess **) hang with me for a bit, I'm picking up the pace with those two stories hahaha. It's more likely that I will publish first for LP than MBB but bear with e once more haha Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!**


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